G is for Garden Delights

As I sit here on Saturday afternoon watching the wet snow fall from the leaden sky, all I can think of is that it's time for Spring!  Spring, with flowers blooming and Lorne getting excited about all the pots he's going to prepare for African daisies, echinaceas, fuschias, and tomatoes!  I think most people find that Spring improves one's mood as we get outside in the warm sunshine and our thoughts turn to baseball, leisurely walks along the seashore, and gardening.

With that in mind, I thought I'd give you a little prelude to Spring by bringing you some of my photos of the flowers in and around my garden.  Enjoy and don't forget to turn up the music that accompanies the photos. It's called "Spring Has Sprung."

But before you click on the slideshow, remember the gentle Denise (creator of ABC Wednesday) and the gregarious Roger (our administrator) without whom we would all be out in the cold without ABCW to keep us warm together throughout the cold winter months.

F is for FUN

Hi everyone!  I've been having a lot of fun lately watching the Olympics in Sochi and so grateful to the Canadian athletes who have put their all into their performances.  Canada is doing very well this year and are tied for 3rd place with Norway for total points out of all the countries involved.

I wrote about the Olympics last week, so had to try to think of something else that's fun for me at any time.  And I thought "Gee, I haven't posted about Tegan for ages!"  So I'm going to show you a few photos of the fun we have at the doggie parks or at the beach or even at home.  Hope you have fun watching!

Oh, and don't forget to thanks the fantastic Denise, the creator of ABCW, the fabulous Roger, our administrator, and the fun-loving team of assistants.  Without any of them, we wouldn't be so fortunate to have fun here on ABC Wednesday.

E is for EXCITING

 

The most exciting thing on television right now is the Winter Olympics at Sochi, Russia.  We consider ourselves an "Olympic family" because Lorne was intimately involved with both Vancouver 2010 and London 2012.  So naturally, we watched the Opening Ceremonies Saturday morning at 8:00 am and have been glued to the tube ever since.  

We are rooting for Canada, of course, and are thrilled that we already have one Gold and a Silver for sisters Justine and Choe Dufour-Lapointe in the Ladies Moguls,  a Silver for our Figure Skating Team Event, and a Bronze for Slopestyle Snowboarding going to Mark McMorris, who performed with a broken rib!  And we've only just begun.  Our hockey teams (both men's and women's) won Gold medals in the 2010 Winter Olympics here in Vancouver and are poised to repeat those wins.  Fingers crossed! 

 Chloe (left) won Silver, Justine (middle) won Gold, Hannah Kearney (USA) won Bronze

 Mark McMorris celebrating his Bronze medal win!

 Canada's Figure Skating Team

As I say, we are naturally rooting for Canada, but its so exciting to see each country rooting for its  team.  There are so many very talented athletes competing and we are excited to watch them all.  This morning we watched the Men's 30K Skiathlon event and ended up cheering for the Swiss, Swedish and Norwegians win their medals.  Switzerland's Dario Cologna overcame a broken ankle and worked extremely hard to simply be able to compete. He ended up in tears over his gold-medal win. 

We have also watched the Men's Ski Jump (Normal) and were excited that the Polish athlete won the Gold medal.  We lived with a lovely young Polish couple when we were in London and we keep in touch with them now that they have moved home to Poland.  So we thought of them and their excitement for Kamil Stoch's gold-medal winning jump!  Also, speaking of when we were in London, our congratulations go to Britain's Jenny Jones who won a Bronze medal in Ladies' Slopestyle Snowboarding. 

For the next two weeks, we will be riding high with excitement as we watch the Sochi Winter Games.  We will be thrilled for all the winners and wish them well in their efforts to represent their countries in a sportsmanlike manner.

With thanks to the elegant Denise Nesbitt, creator of ABC Wednesday, and to the easygoing Roger, our Administrator.  If you are interested in joining the team (who are assigned about 10 posts per week to visit), please email Roger.  We're pushing towards 100 participants per week, so we always welcome eager beavers to join in to help.  Have a great week, everyone!

 NOTE:  All photos courtesy of Mr. Google.

D is for DOUBLE DIGITS

This week, I'm celebrating my grandson's 10th birthday, which was actually on January 1st.  Unfortunately, his entire family came down with the flu and was unable to make a big to-do for him.  I remember phoning him to wish him "Happy Birthday" and assured him that I would bring his birthday present over as soon as everyone was well.  I also assured him that he would never ever forget his 10th birthday when he turned "double digits."

We finally managed to get together for breakfast at "the Spot," a well-known family restaurant in British Columbia 1928, on Sunday.  It's famous for its burgers and for its Pirate Packs for children.

When he opened his gift - a "grown-up" Timex Outlander watch, he was thrilled.  He had to put it on right away and then took it off so his Mom could set the date and time for him.  He was quite intrigued at how it read the date in numbers and that it had a seconds ticker, too.

Double digits are exciting to reach the first time, and maybe the second or third time.  However, once the fourth, fifth, or sixth time comes around, we tend to try to disregard it.  But then, if you're like me, you decide to make the best of it and celebrate anyway!  Oh, and by the way, if you look at the little video below, don't think we allow him to be all "bad boy" - he wanted a hoodie for Christmas, which I gave him, and he was so thrilled with it, that he pretended to be a "bad boy."  He even wore it when we went out for breakfast.  So, here's to Noah - HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY!

Now don't forget to give thanks to our darling Mrs. Nesbitt, the creator of ABC Wednesday, and to the debonair Roger, our administrator.  Without them or the team of dedicated volunteers that help out by visiting at least 10 posters per week, we would be deeply despondent!  And don't forget to let Roger know if you'd like to be on the team list and visit 10 contributors.  We have lots of newbies (we made it to over 90 for the letter C) so the more people on the team, the less time involved for all.  Thanks!

C is for CHOICES

In Round 13, I wrote that C is for Courage and as I was pondering this round, it suddenly occurred to me that I've had to have a lot of courage lately to make some CHOICES in my life.  First of all, Lorne and I have set the date for our wedding, which will celebrate not only the love we have for each other, but also our commitment to each other no matter what lies ahead.

When I started planning the wedding, I thought that because we had both been married before, we should have a small ceremony with only family and close friends.  I should wear a nice dress but not a bridal gown.  We would just have a cocktail party and keep it really simple.  I was a bit concerned that people would look askance at us, especially if I wore a bridal gown.  But then when I told one of my best friends we'd set the date, she jumped at helping me out by being my bridal consultant (she has arranged many weddings in the past along with her own 3 daughters' weddings) and my professional photographer. 

So after booking the venue, off we went in search of a dress.  Note that I was thinking of "a" dress.  We ended up at David's Bridal and Wendy and the store's consultant went off to pull dresses for me while I waited in the dressing room.  The rack outside the room quickly filled up with none other than bridal gowns!  Long ones, short ones, tea length ones...and some coloured ones.  The second dress I tried on gave me chills until I looked at the price tag!  I said to Wendy that I loved it, but (gulp!) it was rather dear.

So I kept on trying all the dresses that they brought for me.  I kept insisting that I didn't want to look like a ridiculous "old" bride trying to look young.  Sigh!  Finally, I was getting tired but I couldn't get the thought of that second dress out of my mind.  Wendy said to me, "Listen, after all you and Lorne have been through in your lives, you deserve this!  Aren't you worth at least as much as what you paid for your daughter's dress?"  So I tried the dress on again, and this time considered it more seriously.  We agreed that it was suitable for my age (tea length and basically fully covered up) and for the venue, which is a heritage home not far from where we live.  And I thought to myself as I teared up, "I look good!  I look young! Lorne will weep when he sees me in this dress!"

And I said "Yes to the dress!"

Two choices down - the venue and the dress - and more choices coming up.  We are in the process of choosing the food that the caterer will provide and a dress for my attendant (Cathy was my best friend that I travelled to England with in 2012).  We chose to have a noon wedding with a high tea sort of reception where everyone can mingle at the heritage home near the beach that we've booked. And one more major choice is the wedding cake.  It doesn't need to be large, but it does need to be special.

The wedding will be May 1st - only about 3 months from now, so stay tuned! 

And NO you can't see the dress yet.  But here are some shots of the venue - Cammidge House, built in 1914.  The municipality is celebrating its 100th anniversary this spring, too.  Weather permitting, we'll say our vows outside on the porch (which will be decorated with ivy, kissing balls, and flowers) but if weather does not cooperate, we'll say the vows in front of the old fireplace in the living room.

Now before you exit, be sure to think of the comely Denise, the founder of ABCW, and our administrator Roger, who manages to stay calm when people don't follow the rules and regulations of the site.   So a little reminder to those who are new here (and a HUGE WELCOME, by the way) that it is important to read the little section on the homepage about linking to the ABCW site and keeping your post to something relating to the letter of the week.

Ciao!

B is for BAKER and the BEACH

As I mentioned last week, I decided that for this round I will write about whatever comes to mind at the time of writing.  So this week, I bring you Mount Baker and the beach at Lighthouse Park.

On January 5th we woke up to a beautiful sunny day, so as we needed gas, we both drove our cars to Point Roberts (across the border in Washington state).  I took Tegan with us so she could go swimming at the beach after we'd filled up.  I know - swimming in the ocean in early January?  For those who don't know, Tegan is our one-year-old English Labrador who doesn't care what the temperature is or whether the water is clear, salty, brackish or even thick with mud like the river.  The sea surface temperature was roughly the same as the air temperature: 6 celsius or about 40 fahrenheit.

After filling up our gas tanks and getting a dog biscuit from the station attendant for Tegan, we headed for the beach at Lighthouse Park.  This is one of our regular haunts at any time of year.  After I took a few shots of Lorne throwing a stick into the ocean for Tegan to fetch, I decided to take a walk along the gravel path lining the beach to see what I could see.  As my ankle was still rather weak, I took it very slowly.  I think I caught some pretty good shots, as you'll see in the shortslide show I made for you.

But before you click to watch the slideshow, remember to thank the beautiful Denise and the brilliant Roger for the bounteous amount of time they've spent both creating and running ABC Wednesday.  If you're new to the site, a BIG welcome to you but please take a moment to read the Rules and Guidelines on the main page.  Thanks so much and now on with the show!  Oh, I almost forgot - turn up your sound and click to watch it in full screen.  It looks and sounds much better that way.  GO!

A is for AAA Movies

Welcome to Round 14 of ABC Wednesday!  How do you like our new logo?  I think it's awesome!  Welcome to newcomers and may I suggest you read the Rules and Guidelines on ABCW's home page.  Remember to link to ABC Wednesday's site so others can see the posts and be sure to include in your writing a reference to the letter of the week. 

After trying to think of a theme for this round and unable to come up with anything unique, I have decided to simply do anything I feel like as the weeks pass.  So today I will tell you about two movies I've recently seen that begin with the letter A.  If I were to give them scores like reviewers give stars, I would give both of them 5 As.

First, we saw "American Hustle," a movie I'd been dying to see since I'd first read its review in our local paper.  It's a combination of crime, comedy and drama all mixed together and loosely based on the FBI ABSCAM operation in the late 70's/early 80's.  For us it was a trip back in time to see corded rotary phones, fabulous cars from the era, clothes, hairstyles, and a new invention - the microwave oven.  The plot moves along well and the actors are absolutely fabulous!  You can check it out online to see if it's something you'd like to watch, but I highly recommend it.  The one thing I'm a bit disappointed about is that Christian Bale didn't receive the Golden Globe...in my mind, he was amazing and the central character around whom everyone else revolved! 

Moving on to the other movie, I must tell you about "August: Osage County," starring Meryl Streep and Julia Rogers.  It was based on the Pulitzer Prize winning play by Tracy Letts, and the cast also includes such notable actors as Chris Cooper, Ewan McGregor, Julianne Nicholson, Juliette Lewis, Dermot Mulroney, Sam Shepherd, Margo Martindale, and Abigail Breslin.  There are a few other lesser known actors, and they are all no less awesome in their roles.  It is a powerful movie in that all the female characters are extremely strong-willed in their own way and the story goes on to suggest how and why they are the way they are.  The family dinner that is the dramatic centerpiece of the film is vicious!  Family truths come to light and I dare you not to relate to at least one character or at the very least know someone similar!

Many thanks to the amazing Denise Nesbitt, the creator of ABC Wednesday and to the amenable Roger Green, our administrator.  If you'd like to be part of the ABCW team, which means formally visiting about 10 posts per week, please get in touch with Roger.  The more the merrier and the easier the job is for all involved.

Z is for ZUMBA

I've heard friends rave about Zumba. What does it involve, and is it a good aerobic workout?

Answer from Edward R. Laskowski, M.D.

Zumba is a fitness program that combines Latin music and easy-to-follow dance moves. Zumba routines incorporate interval training, alternating fast and slow rhythms and resistance training. Zumba's fans say it's so popular because Zumba is a fun way to work out.

Some research indicates that dance-type aerobic workouts like Zumba can improve cardiopulmonary endurance when done at moderate intensity and duration. The bottom line is if you enjoy Zumba, you're more likely to stick with it — and more likely to enjoy the benefits of aerobic exercise.

As with any exercise, if a certain movement or position causes you pain, try to modify the workout to avoid the aggravating activities. And anytime you're training with resistance, remember that proper technique is key — don't get so caught up in the dance rhythm that you forget proper form. 

I sure wish I could do Zumba, but what with all my osteoarthritic problems like having had two back surgeries (one was a triple fusion leaving me with 7 pins holding me together) and a weakened ankle due to two breaks and a serious sprain plus bad knees, it probably would not be a good fit for me.   But I have heard from others that it's lots of fun!  Since I'm a fan of "Dancing With the Stars," I've become a wannabe Zumba cum Latin ballroom dancer after a secret lifelong passion to have been a Radio City Rockette.  We always dream of being or doing something we can't, don't we?  Oh well, I'll continue to use the recumbent bike, walk, and swim and enjoy being a voyeur while listening to all that cool Latin music.

We're now at the end of the 13th round of ABC Wednesday with the letter Z, so don't be shy - sign up to be part of the team!  Tell your friends and family that we're a great group of zesty zealots who love the zither, zombies and zucchini.   Thanks to the zippy Denise and the zany Roger for being the creator and administrator respectively.  By the way, did you know that a zampogna is an Italian bagpipe?  And a zel is a form of Oriental cymbal.  Also, a zho is a cross between a yak and a cow.  See y'all in Round 14 starting next week! 

Y is for Year 2014

Happy New Year everyone!  I thought really hard about what to write this week and after reading an article in our Vancouver Sun newspaper, I thought I'd share some "Canadianisms" that leave other English speakers confused.

1. Mickey - I think most Americans would think of "Mickey Mouse" or a particular date rape drug, but you're wrong!  In Canada, a mickey is a 375-mL bottle of liquor.  It's quite common to say, "Let's pick up a mickey on our way to the party."  Other liquor-related "isms are "two four" (a case of 24 beer), "twenty-sixer" (a 750 mL bottle of liquor), and "forty-pounder" (a 1.14 litre bottle of liquor).






2. Toque - Canadians wear toques for half the year (well, not in my little corner of Lotusland).  They're knitted caps. By the way, it's pronounced "tooook."





 3. Freezies - These are popsicles that come in a plastic sleeve.  Kids everywhere in Canada beg for freezies all summer long.  Moms buy them in cases and store them in their garage freezers.

 4. Pablum - This is a food product made of a mixture of bone meal, corn meal, vitamins and grains that you mix with warm water to feed babies.  (Of course, one could also use "Pablum" to refer to Justin Trudeau's speeches as he tries to garner support for the federal Liberal party but that's another story.)







5. Parkade - In the United States, these are called parking garages or parking decks.  They are multi-storied areas in downtown - where you park your car so you can shop at the adjoining mall.

 6.  Pencil Crayons - Americans call these "coloured pencils" and the British call the "colouring pencils." It's possible the term came from the French "crayon de couleur."

7. Robertson screwdriver - This screwdriver was invented by P.L. Robertson (from Ontario) and is superior to its Phillips-head cousins.  Only 16% of Commonwealth people and 5% of Americans recognized the name.




 8. Hooped - 54% of Canadians use this term to mean "broken" or "useless" as in if your car's engine is seized, the car's hooped.  This is purely a western Canadian expression.

With that, you start out the New Year with a bit more trivia to add to your repertoire.  Hope everyone has a wonderful 2014.

Thanks to Denise, Roger and the entire team at ABC Wednesday for their hard work and support.

X is for XMAS

A repeat post from December 22, 2012:
 
We who post at ABC Wednesday are lovers of the alphabet, and we are sometimes fascinated by the flexibility of the letter X.  It can be used to represent the sacred, the profane (X-rated), and the unknown (X-ray).

How many of you have ever wondered why "XMAS" is used as a short form for the word ''CHRISTMAS"?  How many of you really know the reason.  Have you ever heard the saying "Jesus is the reason for the season"?

The history of the word "Xmas" is actually quite respectable and predates by centuries its use in gaudy advertisements.   X is the Greek letter "chi", the first letter in the word Χριστός.  And here's the kicker - Χριστός means "Christ."  Using the letter X to represent Christ, known as a "christogram," has been an accepted representation of Christ for hundreds of years. 

So, in order to fulfill my promise of a short post this week, may I wish you all MERRY XMAS!  The following is not a slideshow, just a Xmas card to you all....but do turn up your sound if you enjoy the song "O Holy Night." 

W is for WALKING

How many of you have ever thought about the act of walking?  We certainly take it for granted once we learn to walk by around one year of age.  But...take away the ability and how would you feel?

As most of my regular readers know, I broke my ankle mid-September and was in a freakishly stylish boot that I nicknamed Frank (short for Frankenstein) for seven weeks!  Also, for those of you who have followed me for years now, do you recall my back operation when my spine was fused in three spots and seven pins were drilled in to keep everything in place?  Now - picture me with this boot that raises me about 4 inches higher on one side and you'll know why I called the boot Frank....well, maybe it should have been Igor....but I digress.

A week after breaking my ankle (in two places, by the way) I had to see an orthopedic surgeon who would check to see if I needed to have an operation to pin it together.  When we arrived at the hospital, Lorne got me into a wheelchair because I was not to put any weight on the foot yet.  As a result, it had been h...e...double hockey sticks all week as I tried to hop to and from the most important room of the house.  My back was already killing me along with the pain in my ankle. 

Luckily, I didn't need surgery and I could start to put a bit of weight on the foot as long as I wore the boot.  And I didn't have to wear it to bed anymore, either.  So that was a big relief.  However, after moving around in the house with one foot 4 inches higher than the other, my hip started acting up.  I'm not used to wearing shoes inside, but I finally figured out that if I wore my walking shoe with the boot, it raised that side up a bit more so it wouldn't be so hard on me.

Counting down the weeks and finally the days, I arrived once more at the hospital to see the orthopedic surgeon.  My ankle was x-rayed and poked and prodded and I was announced "healed."  Yes, well, I still needed to go to physio because all the ligaments and tendons were stiff and inflexible.  That was okay with me and off I went to make some appointments.

I had had about four sessions with the physiotherapist and the kinesthesiologist and was doing great!  I found that I could go up the stairs left/right, left/right and could almost do the same coming down.  Apparently, it's harder going down because of the angle the foot needs and I wasn't quite there yet.  But I was again independent, driving, and doing my Christmas shopping without too much trouble other than tiring quickly.

So guess what happened!  Last week, I was going out the door and as I looked back at the dog to tell her to stay, my bad foot went over!  OMG! It hurt like bl**dy h***... and I screamed at Lorne to help me!  The pain was so bad I started crying and saying "Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t" over and over again.  Anyhoo, long story a bit shorter, I went to my next physio appointment two days later with a swollen foot that looked like a piece of raw meat with five red sausage toes.  In one session the physio was able to get the red out and the swelling down almost to normal.  I can walk again (with a limp), am icing my foot every day and am thankful that by Christmas I should be back to normal.  Well, except for my brain that is! 

So don't take walking for granted.  Whenever I see a person on crutches, in a wheelchair, or pushing a wheeled walker, I remember to thank God I am better now.  I'm also much more open about helping someone out if they look as though they'd welcome it.  As I sat waiting for Lorne to park the car that first day at the hospital, I watched people walking as they passed me.  I can still remember how I felt - helpless - and thought about how important it is to be able to walk.

With that, I'd like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and will only be posting a short Xmas message next week in honour of the day. 

Warm wishes for a wonderful holiday season!

V is for VACATION

With the Christmas holidays upon us, I'm feeling like I need a vacation!  This past year has been a difficult one and both of us just want it to be over so we can go away to someplace warm, relax with a good book, and breathe in some tropical sea air.  We're thinking Maui in May...apparently, it's a good month for seniors like us to go because there aren't any families with young children and the weather is usually just perfect.

Both of us have been to Hawaii before (Lorne twice to Oahu and I've been to Oahu and Maui each once.)  Back in 1995, I took my younger daughter to Maui and stayed at a resort called Papakea, right on the water with two pools, tennis court, putting greens, and lots of shade from the palm trees.  I rented a car and we went into Lahaina a couple of times and halfway around the island for a nice leisurely drive.  This time, we'd like to go up Haleakala to see the sun rise and maybe go to Hana.  I hear the drive is quite something.

Of course, we might change our mind as to our vacation destination, but one thing is for sure - we need a vacation! Here's a quick slideshow showing some of the places I've visited and where we'd like to vacation soon.

Don't forget to give thanks to the vibrant Mrs. Nesbitt, the creator of ABC Wednesday, to the valuable Roger, our administrator, and to his vital team of assistants.

U is for UNDAUNTED

Looking back at my posts from the last month, I find I've gone from "I Quit" to "Rough Ride" to "Smile."  Well, today, I am feeling UNDAUNTED!  Both Lorne and I are trying very hard to be resolutely courageous about our situation and continue to uplift each other.

Even though we each become a bit uncommunicative at times while we ponder what we're going through, we always come back together again.  He was a bit unapproachable this past weekend after receiving news that his former mother-in-law had passed away.  He was not close to her, but he was and continues to be close to his former brother-in-law; therefore, he is feeling his pain right now and reminiscing about the death of his own mother.  Today, he has to go for blood tests and psyche himself up for his next chemo (tomorrow) when his oncologist will only give him one of the three drugs he has been on. Fingers crossed the side effects will not undermine his health.

This past week, I managed to get the tree up and decorated.  Our Princess Tegan was very curious about all the boxes we pulled out and the strange thing now standing in the corner.  But she had been uncannily good about not poking about and stealing anything.  I've invited my single sister to come for Xmas Day with the two of us and she is delighted to be invited.  If Lorne needs to rest in the afternoon, we'll be able to have a nice time together - take Tegan for a little walk or even go to a matinee.  It will be a nice quiet, unexcitable day - just what we need this year.

Here are a few fun photos:  on the left is Lorne's oldest glass Xmas tree ball and on the right is mine.
 

This is an ornament my sister gave me one year, just for fun!

 

Below, Tegan dragged her blankie all the way up the stairs and...

promptly fell asleep with it in her mouth.

Unbridled thanks to Denise Nesbitt, the creator of ABCW and to the unimpeachable Roger, our administrator.  Also, remember to thank the united forces of the ABCW team for their continued unrelenting energy for visiting all the contributors and taking a turn at the weekly introduction on our home page. 

As this round draws to a conclusion, please consider emailing Roger to offer your unrestrained excitement at becoming part of the team!  All that is required is that you visit 10 contributors to comment on their post and if you wish, sign up to do one introduction.  Easy Peasy!