Another Excellent Adventure

Some of you may remember "Leslie and Josie's Excellent Spring Adventure" from back in April, 2007. We've been on a few adventures since then, but today was really fun and we actually got lost! Anyway, we love driving over to the North Shore (West and North Vancouver) via the Burrard Street Bridge and through the downtown area, bypassing Stanley Park, and over the Lions Gate Bridge.

Our first destination was "The Village," a part of the Park Royal shopping complex. It is fairly new, built in 2004, and is an open-air “village-style” extension of the South Mall with a unique and charming "feel" of its own. First stop was for a cappuccino before heading over to Home Hardware to look at lighting fixtures for my place. I think I might have found what I'm looking for but will have to phone my electrician to see if he can do what I want with them.

These street lamps were scattered throughout the village, giving it an old-world charm.

Then we strolled along and admired the architecture of the village and took a few photos. We went into Danier Leather where Josie helped me choose some red leather gloves and a beautiful scarlet scarf that will look perfect with either my black leather jacket or my brown wool winter coat. We also ambled into a housewares place and saw lots of neat things and where Josie picked up a little something as a Christmas present for someone.

By then, we'd made our way all the way back to the car so decided to head up toward Cleveland Dam at the top of the mountain. We got lost and never did find the Dam. It seemed like we ended up going in circles and had to resort to asking a pedestrian how to get back down to the highway! But did we see some gorgeous homes! In the photo below, imagine us above the buildings (on the left side) driving on cedar tree-lined streets almost to the top!

We decided to go to "our" place, Presto Cucina (a wonderful little Italian place just a few blocks from Josie's place in the Kits district of Vancouver), and had a scrumptious meal complete with a Shiraz. Home again, home again, jiggedy jig...I'll let Josie tell you the story of what we else we saw up the mountain! Be sure to go over there. I'll leave you with a picture of me across the table from Josie at dinner and my supple new red leather gloves and my new so-soft scarf.

Photo Hunt - LAZY DAYS OF SUMMER

*Humble thanks to David at authorblog for honouring me with his Post of the Day for this story.

When I think of the word "lazy," my mind goes back to the days when we'd spend our summer vacations at Shuswap Lake. Those were some of the happiest and laziest of days I've ever spent. Even though I had to cook on an old temperamental gas stove, wash dishes in a tiny sink, sweep the floor several times a day because of all the sand and grit that came in on shoes and bare feet, drive a mile and a half to the local laundromat, and bathe in the lake (we at least had an indoor toilet, but the septic tank often acted up), those were the lazy days of summer. Before children arrived, hubby and I would have dreamy days floating on the water, rowing the boat across to Copper Island, or strolling through the government campsite on our way to get an ice-cream treat.

In the morning and late at night, hubby Brian would stuff the old potbelly with newspaper, kindling, and logs so that the cabin was nice and cosy for me. In turn, I'd make the coffee while he built the evening campfire, and then he'd serenade me on his guitar. We'd make a wish on the first star and pretend to count them as one after another they popped out in the black sky. Sometimes, we'd hear the plop plop plop of a toad as it hopped towards the water that quietly lapped against the shore.
When we had children, my favourite time of day was after lunch when all the chores were done and I could don my bathing suit (I wasn't embarrassed about the bod then!), hat, sunglasses, Walkman, and thongs (which are currently called flip-flops because some other personal garment stole the name) and drag my chaise onto the boat dock. While hubby kept an eye on the kids and the dog, I'd bask in the warmth of the sun as the dock gently swayed me into a coma-like state of relaxation.

As soon as the girls were old enough to wear life jackets, we'd take them out in the big boat, too. Here are my hubby (left) with his best friend Eric and our daughter Jamie and Eric's son Ryan (both kids were about 2 years old then.)

And when the girls were old enough, they had to take over some of the chores, one of which was the dishes. Thank God for children! They took turns washing and drying and they also had to wipe up the counters and sweep the porch. One of their favourite chores was shucking the corn for dinner. They did it sitting outside at our picnic table and it was fun to listen to them chatter away while I was busy in the kitchen. Can you see our poor pooch panting away in the afternoon heat?

Brian was a great Dad. He loved his girls more than anyone could ever know and he spent time with them on aqua bikes, teaching them to fish and water ski, horseback ride, and build the traditional evening campfire - while I relaxed.

Yes, those were the lazy days of summer that I enjoy looking back on. I miss them because it truly was a part of the best time of my life.

After Brian died in 1992, life became a continuous whirlwind of working and bringing up my girls through their tantrum-laden teen years. We made it through, although with some scars.

It really hasn't been until retirement that I've felt as though there have been days when I can be lazy again. Sometimes I don't even make my bed when I get up in the morning. Horrors! I was taught to make the bed, do up the dishes, dust, and vacuum every day! But heck, one solitary soul doesn't stir up much dust these days. I enjoy my lazy mornings of a light breakfast and two mugs of coffee while I watch "The View." (that's a hint at the time I usually get downstairs) Then it's the newspaper and the daily crossword, maybe a phone call or two, and preparing for my students after school. Oh, I do other things, but it's at my own time and pace. And I love it.

Trust, Canada-style

Canada is taking a proactive step to avoid a situation like the United States of America is currently facing.

The federal government is buying up $25 billion in residential mortgages to give the chartered banks additional cash to issue loans, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced Friday. . . extraordinary measure means Ottawa, through the federal government and the Bank of Canada, will have injected a whopping $45 billion in additional cash into the financial system in an effort to counteract the tight credit squeeze that has paralysed markets throughout the world.

Although the market did drop today, Canada isn't facing the same severe problems as other industrialized countries. Our finance minister will be speaking at the G7 meeting in Washington today and will argue for tighter regulations of the kind that has kept Canada's banking system solvent in the midst of this current global crisis.

These measures are aimed at stabilizing the country's troubled lending industry - measures he predicts will prod banks to further lower their lending rates.

To see the entire article click here. Hopefully my next statement from TD Waterhouse will reflect a return of my recent losses.

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

I just booked a mammogram - October 24th at 12:45 in my local hospital. I also requested the "fast track" program so that my doctor will be informed of negative results within 48 hours.

So?

*sigh*

Last night I received a call from my younger sister. She was in tears. She'd had her mammogram and got the results.

Three tiny lumps. Two might be nothing. One probably is something.

Two and a half years ago, my older sister had a mastectomy due to a small lump that was cancerous. We all thought it was a fluke because no one in our family had ever had cancer.

Until our Dad had a bout with colon cancer. But he was old and lots of old people end up with some sort of cancer.

Then last year, some of you may remember, my younger daughter had an ovarian tumour. Thankfully, it was benign.

My friend Kathy died in August after living with breast cancer for 16 years.

Breast cancer doesn't have to be deadly but early detection is the key.

Have YOU had a mammogram lately?

FREE GAS - well, almost....

As I drove past my local Chevron dealer this afternoon, I noticed the price of gas. It was so LOW that I quickly turned around and filled up half a tank. The price? 116.9/liter! Unbelieveable! I can't remember when it was so low.

When I got home, I thought I'd check and see what the gas prices are in the United States. I went to gasbuddy.com and saw that it ranges from $2.90 to $3.72 per gallon. Now a gallon is equivalent to 3.7854118 liters so by my calculations, gas is STILL cheaper in the US today even with our low low prices!

I'm not a mathematician by ANY means, but if I multiply 116.9 X 3.7854118 I get about $4.42/gallon. Therefore, for our gas to be equal in price to the United States, we'd be paying the equivalent of $4.42, BUT the price in the United States today ranges, as I wrote above, from $2.90 to $3.72 per gallon. Just this past summer, we were paying almost $6.00 a gallon!

Ergo, why are the Americans grumbling about gas prices?

State of Affairs - Oil, Gas, Housing

I have just turned the TV off as I just can't stand listening to the two USA Presidential candidates go at each other any longer. As a Canadian, you might think I don't know too much about what goes on south of the border, but you'd be wrong. I believe most Canadians know almost as much about the USA as the Americans do, but it certainly does not go the other way.

I keep hearing talk about oil reserves and how the Americans need to find alternative energy resources and not rely on the Middle East so much or at all anymore.

But does the average American, the regular Joe, know where the USA get its oil? Do they think it all comes from the Middle East? I've been waiting..... waiting..... waiting for one of these candidates to state categorically from whence they get their energy.

Have the Americans ever heard of the country just north of them? It's called CANADA!

CANADA is the #1 source of oil for the United States of America!

Here's the list of the top 5 countries that provide crude oil to the USA (from here):

1. CANADA

2. Saudi Arabia

3. Mexico

4. Venezuela

5. Nigeria

These top five exporting countries accounted for 67 percent of United States crude oil imports in July 2008. Canada provided 1.960 million barrels per day!

And here are the top 5 countries that provide petroleum to the USA:

1. CANADA

2. Saudi Arabia

3. Venezuela

4. Mexico

5. Nigeria

And then there's the health care issue. Yes, Canada has universal health care but it's far from perfect. There are good and bad points for each candidate's views. I'd love to have a $5,000 tax rebate so that I could go and choose my health care provider. But does that mean I won't have to wait for a bed in the hospital when I need surgery that isn't life-threatening? Probably not. On the other hand, some people don't like the fact that an employer's contribution toward health care provision is a taxable benefit. Well, it's like that in Canada, too, even though we have universal health care. The employee has to pay tax on the employer's share.

What about gas prices? In the United Kingdom, people have been paying way more for gas than we have and it's been like that for years and years. Canadians are paying way more for gas than Americans and yes, we grumble and gripe, so we cross the border and buy our gas in the border towns of the USA. It's CHEAPER there! Click here and scroll down to "Why is gasoline cheaper in the United States?"

And what about the housing crisis? Egads! Who in their right mind would buy a house beyond their means even if the lender is saying that you can afford it. (Can you just picture the lender stroking his curly moustache?) I agree that what has happened to a lot of people, Canadians included, is criminal. But let's face it, we have to accept some of the fault for buying into the "dream" when we knew we couldn't afford it.

My parents didn't own their own home until their youngest child was in school. We were able to buy our own home when my first child was a baby and I was able to stay home with my children. My "baby" and her husband managed to scrimp and save to buy their first home when their first child was a baby, but she had to return to work full time after her maternity leave was over.

I think it's time to stop and rethink our definitions of "rights" and "privileges." Maybe you can have it all...but you can't have it ALL at the same time. Maybe we need to start prioritizing - needs before wants.

Just my humble 2 cents (Canadian) worth.

L if for LESLIE'S LLADRO

ABC Wednesday is hosted by Mrs. Nesbitt and if you'd like to participate or just see the contributions of those who do, just click here and away you go.

We're already at the letter L, so I thought you might be interested in seeing some of my Lladró collection, most of which I inherited from my mother, who was a Lladró Society Member until her death in 2002. First of all, Lladró is Spanish porcelain. (By the way, a double L in Spanish is pronounced sort of like "yuh." So the word sounds like YADRO.)

This is a section from their website: "Juan, José and Vicente Lladró - Heirs of the ancient tradition of porcelain, the Lladró brothers knew how to make this tradition their own and to bring a type of art that, up to then, had been reserved to a few. In 1953, they quit their work at a tiles factory and built a little Moorish kiln in the courtyard of the family home. Their adventure began in Almàssera, a little town on the outskirts of the Spanish city of Valencia. And very near the place where they installed this first rudimentary workshop, is where The City of Porcelain stands today. Over two thousand people now work there, and their creations are exported to more than one hundred countries all around the world and sold in almost 4,000 points of sale."

The manufacturing ingredients are kept under tight guard. The process is detailed in a number of Lladró publications and is fully on view for tour groups and individuals at the City of Porcelain. Lladró figurines are made out of an original blend of hard-paste porcelain, which gives the products their unique porcelain characteristics. The glaze ingredients also add to the look of the figures and is an industry secret.

I hope you enjoy looking at part of my collection, and some day perhaps some of you might see them in person. The photos really don't do the pieces justice, of course. The intricacies of design and the facial expressions really need to be seen up close. If you'd like to, check out the Lladró website at http://www.lladro.com/

For me, each piece is special because of how I came to possess it. For example, the first piece (on the left) is one my mother brought me from Spain - the girl holding a lamb. The story behind it is that I was expecting my first daughter in 1976 while my parents were vacationing in Spain, and they weren't expected back until after my due date. But, I greeted them at the airport when they got back - they couldn't believe I still hadn't had the baby. But, the very next day, I went into labour (Oct. 29/76) and that Xmas my Mom presented me with this girl holding a lamb.

Another special piece is the girl holding the hat. This was one of the first pieces that Lladró made with colour. My husband knew how much I admired my Mom's collection and bought it for me - just because.

The pieces vary in size and detail but it's hard to tell in the photos. Be sure to click on them to see them in larger format.

I also have a 12-piece collection of Lladró Christmas balls and bells. Each one is from a certain year (only available to collectors like my mother) and is intricately designed with either a scene from nature or a Christmas story. They have already been allotted to my daughters but I'm keeping them until they have someplace to display them.

I have a few Japanese pieces, like the one on the left depicting a Japanese tea ceremony and the one on the right depicting two young geishas.

These two very feminine pieces show a young girl holding her doll and another young girl with her puppy. On the right, can you see how her dress appears to be lace?

These are the only pieces I have that are of boys. On the left is a little boy dressed as Balthazar, one of the three magi, or wisemen, offering a gift to the baby Jesus. On the right are two pieces of little boys depicting typical loves of baseball and trains. Whenever my grandson is over, he loves to look through the glass at these figurines. I think he likes the boy playing with the train the best.

I've saved my favourites to the last. On the left is Cinderella, her shoe lost as she runs from the special ball the Prince had organised. It seems as though she's been caught in motion as her dress and hair blow in the wind. On the right is Carmen, holding a basket of the most intricately fashioned flowers, each one individually made like those in her hair.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing some of my collection. Of course, being family heirlooms, they will be passed down to my daughters and my grandchildren. Please let me know if you have any Lladró and if there is a special story attached to it/them.

On Finding a New Church

Cathy and I went to Ladner Baptist Church last Sunday. We walked out of my little cul de sac, turned left and walked the equivalent of one short city block and cut through the church's parking lot to the front door. We were both very impressed with the style of service and we were warmly welcomed. We also discovered that we knew several people who attend.

Today the church was all decorated for the autumn harvest and Thanksgiving, which in Canada is next weekend. The service was again wonderful with stirring music - modern and not all old-fashioned hymns. There was a different group leading the singing, this time with piano, saxophone, guitar, and two different types of drums.

We took communion today, too. For those who aren't familiar with that, it is symbolic of the Last Supper when we come together as one body to remember and celebrate what Christ did for us - die on the cross to save us from our sins and to give us eternal life. As we stood to sing the awesome choruses, I felt myself overwhelmed with joy that finally I've found a new place to worship. God told me this is the one!

After the service, I took lots of photos of the harvest and Thanksgiving decorations and I'd like to share some of them with you now. (I think the Pastor was quite pleased that I enjoyed the service and that I took the time to photograph everything. After all, it must have taken "someone" a long time to set everything up and it's nice to be appreciated.)

Here is what you see when you enter the church at the front door - an old wagon decorated with sunflowers and all sorts of gourds. This shows the bottom part of the wagon and what spilled out of it.

The wagon held an antique milk jug that was all rusted, along with sunflowers, dried grasses, and a pumpkin.

At the front of the sanctuary and on the stairs to the left was a gorgeous display of pumpkins, fresh from the farmers' fields.

On the ledge to the right of the stairs was a lovely display of gourds.

A harvest basket sat in splendour just above the pumpkins that were beautifully displayed on the steps.

And on the other side, a giant arrangement of sunflowers sat in an old-fashioned bucket beside a single pumpkin that was adorned with an antique stirrup.

It takes a long times to find a new church. I have been a member of the United Church of Canada, another Baptist church in a neighbouring area, and my last one - Grace Baptist Church here in Ladner. When our former pastor was called to Richmond Baptist Church, Cathy and I went there a few times as we just love Pastor Jeff and his style of speaking. It was a wonderful church and we did know a few people who attend there. But something was not quite right.

So we tried the Baptist church that we'd both been members of years ago, but that really wasn't right for me, although Cathy thought it was fine.

We went online two weeks ago to check out the other churches in our area and decided we might as well give Ladner Baptist a try. And we are both happy that we did. We enjoyed the style of worship, the music, the sermons, and the general "feel" of the church. It has the same doctrines that we've adhered to all our lives and there are lots of ways where we can get involved. And most of all, the people are friendly and welcoming. After all, a church is not a building. It is the people who worship together.

I'll leave you today with a few closeup photos that I took today:

Photo Hunters - Sad

Suddenly, it's my birthday month - another year has come and gone and I don't feel any older. That's a good thing, right? Last year I celebrated a milestone birthday and had fun with family and friends, but this year will be a bit more subdued. That's not because it's the way I want it, but because there's not much I can do these days as I am STILL waiting for a surgery date. So what did this past year bring into my life? Let's get the "not so good" out of the way. There was a death (my Dad at age 86) and the diagnosis that surgery is needed to repair my lower spine. Also, my church disbanded.

However, the good vastly outweighs the bad. My younger daughter moved into her first apartment, has been successful in both her health and her job, and our relationship is better than it's ever been. My older daughter delivered a healthy baby girl in March. My son-in-law got a better paying and more secure job. I have several students that I tutor out of my home. I reached the 50 lbs lost mark! Friends from the United Kingdom came to visit and we had such fun. And I think I may have found another church to attend.

In our journey through life there are both high and low tides. Occasionally, we might experience moments of sheer bliss, but there are also those moments of sadness and loneliness. This is one of the times during the year when I can become a bit morose because my late husband never forgot my birthday - after the first year of our marriage.

It was Oct. 6, 1973, and I came home from work expecting Brian to greet me with a card, a gift, maybe some flowers and even dinner out (or at least take-out, since we didn't have much money). But as I walked in the door, he said something like, "Hi Sweetie! What's for dinner tonight?" Well, I thought he was kidding as I looked around the apartment and at him sitting there watching TV.

"Don't you remember what today is?" I asked him.

"Oh, yeah, Happy Birthday," he said as he continued watching TV.

"That's it?" I asked, incredulous.

He looked at me questioningly.

"Um, yeah." He suddenly looked a bit wary.

I burst into tears.

Apparently, in his family there had been no big deal made out of birthdays. No gifts. No parties. No special meal. No balloons. His mother would put a card at their place at the dinner table and that was it.

So I pulled myself together, got my purse and the car keys and drove down to the Safeway. I bought steaks, potatoes to bake with all the trimmings, and salad stuff. I bought myself a beautiful birthday cake and candles, some balloons, and some flowers. Oh, and I also picked up a bottle of wine.

I went home, set the table, cooked the dinner, blew up the balloons, opened the wine, and invited him to sit down to dinner. As we were eating, he commented on how nice everything was. And a month later, for his birthday I did the same thing. He liked it.

I said, "This is how we celebrate birthdays."

And from then on, we made a big deal out of each other's (and our children's) birthdays.

He may be gone now and even though I don't talk about him very much, he's never far from my thoughts. I just thought I'd share this little story of my first birthday with him as his wife. Please laugh - because that's what we did afterwards.

Geronimo and Goulash

Q: What series is hotter than boiling cheese fondue, smoother than a cheddar cheesecake, and more delicious than a mozzarella milkshake?

A: The Geronimo Stilton adventures, featuring Geronimo Stilton himself.

As you might expect from a series starring a mouse, these books are full of the cheesiest puns ever! To add to the fun, each book is fully illustrated with funny drawings, colorfully expressive fonts, maps, character lists and pictures --- and much more. Geronimo (don't EVER call him "Gerry Berry," "Gerrykins," "Germeister" or any other nickname!) is the editor of New Mouse City's newspaper, The Rodent's Gazette. He is a mouse who loves the comforts of home and hates to travel, yet he finds himself journeying off on adventures with his thrill-seeking sister Thea, his jokester cousin Trap, and his favorite nephew Benjamin. Geronimo becomes a bestselling author by writing down his adventures in these books!The Geronimo Stilton series books are international bestsellers. They were originally published in Italy (where they're the bestselling children's books, besting Harry Potter), and have been translated into 35 languages. Each book is a quick, feel-good read. Starting with the first book in the series, LOST TREASURE OF THE EMERALD EYE, these stories are as irresistible as a cheddar, Swiss and bleu cheese sandwich is to a starving mouse! With a new Geronimo Stilton adventure coming out each month, we can look forward to a frequent exciting good "tail"!

--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon ---

(terryms2001@yahoo.com)

Now you might be wondering why I'm promoting a children's book series. If any of you have children between the ages of 7 and 10, I highly recommend this series. If your child is a bit older but has trouble reading or simply doesn't enjoy reading, I highly recommend this series.

Any child who has difficulty with reading usually is afraid to even try something new. However, this series of books will grab the reader on the first page with its humour, illustrations, and characters.

I remember a few years ago I had a fourth-grade boy who absolutely loved these books. During our silent reading time, he'd be so engrossed in the story that he didn't even realise that he was laughing out loud and disturbing the other students. But I never told him to stop laughing and indicated to the others by my smiles that it was quite alright to love a book like that.

Today, I was listening to one of my tutoring students read aloud from "The Secret of Cacklefur Castle" and I couldn't help but notice all the double entendres and allusions to things that children wouldn't "get." There is a higher level of humour in these stories that entertain older children and adults alike.

A section of today's reading was about Stewrat, the cook, and the stew he was preparing for dinner. Its ingredients were gross and inedible but its description made me laugh right out loud. It was doubly amusing because I happened to have my own stew on simmer while we were reading, and Stewrat's stew was a far cry from my own. I'll be getting more of these books for my students and one day I will let my grandchildren read them for their own pleasure.

Here's a peek at my own stew that I made today. I did make dumplings, too, but forgot to take a photo of them because by the time all my students were gone, we were too hungry to stop. D#2 made delicious peanut butter cookies for our dessert.

Everything in the pot.......... and then it simmers until dinner time. There was lots left over for both of us for several days, so into the freezer it went.