Thank You Bear Naked!

Bear Naked has honoured me with a Twin Blog Award! "You Make Me Smile" and "Super Commenter".

What a nice surprise.
Bear Naked generously passed this award on to a few other people as well. You can check on her Blog to see who they are.

You made me smile today!
Now, it is my turn to pass this on. Will need some time to think on this.
Yippeeeeeee!

Gray skies......

Skies are overcast; light is dim. Time has lost its definition.




The day started out sunny and bright.

So I went for a walk in the early light.

The cry of a kestrel pierced the air.

And looking up - I found it there.

No this is not my pic. I googled it. I was surprised to find this hawk in my neighbourhood. I usually see them flying and wheeling in the sky, as I drive past fields where cows graze.
Not this close to where people live.
But there are a lot of trees where I live and I have seen woodpeckers and owls; birds once thought to live only in forests.

The rest of the day was dull. I had planned outdoor activities and a BBQ for supper, but had to cancel. It rained off and on all afternoon. Too much rain this summer. Too many clouds.

It's the energy that feels different on a cloudy day. Heavier, more subdued. There is no bright shining sun to mark the hours. No light to guide us as morning becomes afternoon, and afternoon fades into evening.

Sounds are muted.

Birds and insects are quiet, as if waiting......

I feel sleepy, dreamy, yet restless.

Disappointed in a day that started out so well.

Is this the pattern of Life? Or just illness?

I told my daughter over the phone that I was fine.

Hubby is heading into another exacerbation.

I told her I was fastening my seatbelt for yet another "rollercoaster ride".

This is the pattern of COPD. Good days and bad ones.

We've been here before.

We'll weather this storm too.

Having fun Grandmothering

Grand-daughter Jasmine reading a book. Grandma Wendy had made her a dress and matching hat. How did the hat end up on the floor?

How to get a smile out of her? It's not easy. She keeps looking at the camera, wondering why I'm holding that black square thing in front of my face.

And, not only that - she keeps walking closer to me to check things out. She won't keep still!

Finally! I got Mommy to hold on to her, so she wouldn't move. And to tickle her little feet to make her laugh!

Whew! I now have a great respect for people trying to capture small children in photos. Thank goodness for digital. I must have taken dozens just to get a few clear ones.

Tiddly Toadstools and Buzzing Bees

What an appropriate place these toadstools chose to appear in our backyard. As if they wanted to blend right in with the garden gnome.

This one looks almost like a serving platter, with it's cup-shaped top. We've been having cool and rainy weather these few days. So these toadstools just pop up all over the grass.

Now for the "real post". That was just to start things off, so I could lead up to........... are you ready for another poem?

Groan!!

Here goes. I was watering a basket of impatiens when I saw a sweet little bumble bee buzzing around. I quietly withdrew to give it room at the flower basket - but it just zoomed off.
I began thinking about what somebody said "if we have no bees, then our world will disappear in 4 years". Can't remember who quoted that, but I read it on somebody's blog.

Now for the poem:

Wouldn't it be weird
If the bees disappeared?

I am hoping somebody out there in bloggerland will finish this for me.
No rules. Just be creative. Whatever pops into your head.
Let's have fun on a rainy day!!

Two for the Price of One

O.K. - 3 - if you count the limerick at the end.

The First Menopausal Moment was when I bopped into Subway to pick up sandwich. Two, actually, since I had a coupon - buy 1 and get 1 free.

Confidently walked up to the Server "I'll have 2 turkey sandwiches to go please......And I have a coupon." I announced smugly.

Plunked my purse down on the counter. Started rummaging around. No coupon.
O.K. - out comes the car keys, lipstick, nail polish (nail polish? - haven't had my nails done since the beginning of summer), kleenex, hand lotion, etc. etc.
No coupon.
O.K. I'll check out the secret zipper pocket, deep inside my purse.
All this time the Server was waiting patiently.
Ah - ha! "Here it is," I shouted triumphantly waving the coupon about in the air.

The Server looked at me. "Umm.... this coupon is for Dagwood's - not here."
Oops!

Second Menopausal Moment:
I pulled into the gas station to fill up the car. Already late and impatient, I jumped out to fill it myself. The place was very busy - everyone wanted gas, and it was a Self-Serve - but I don't want to wait for the busy Attendant to get to me. So I squashed the hose, filled up my tank, and gave my money to the Attendant. Jumped back in the car and started negotiating my way around cars that were waiting for their turn.

Geeze - this place is too full - let me outta here.
O.K. relax, go get a coffee.
"Please don't stop the music......." sang Rhianna or somebody, over the radio.
"Please don't stop the music..... the music.... the music......."
Oh, I like that song, I thought to myself as I waited for a break in the traffic to pull away from this busy place.

I turned the knob of my radio, so I could hear the song better. Nothing.
Meanwhile, I saw a break and focused my attention on pulling into the traffic. No time to glance down at the radio.
Hey - where did the music go? I turned the knob again - a little louder this time.

Oops - that wasn't my radio - my radio was turned off!! Somebody else must have pulled away from the station, taking my song with them!

And #3 if you want to call these poems and limericks "menopausal moments" - another limerick popped into my head as I was washing up before getting into bed.

Gettin' Old

There are spots on my skin
I've got hairs on my chin
And boobs that sag down to the floor
But I don't care a fig
That my butt's gettin' big
At least I can get through the door!

No Turning Back

Yesterday Hubby got his Driver's Licence Renewal in the mail. They are now requesting that he undergo a physical exam to renew this licence.

He looked up from the letter with sad eyes and said to me:
"I won't pass this physical - not in a million years."
"I know." I gently agreed.

He waited a moment before going on.
"Looks like I'll never drive again."

I could see his eyes glistening, but I held his gaze.
"Why don't you pretend I'm your chauffeur?" I tried to be light-hearted, yet compassionate.

"That's what I told my Mom years ago. But she was in her 80's and a menace on the roads."

"I know."

"But really and truly, I don't feel stable enough to drive. Especially if I have to worry about my oxygen sats. I know it's time to give up my licence - but it's just so hard. It feels like my world is shrinking every time I turn around."

"I understand. But you know that I'll always be with you when we go out anyway, so what's the difference if I do the driving?"

You can see that we're trying to be logical about an emotional decision.
Hubby has only been out in the car twice since October. Both times I drove and both times, he was fiddling with this 02 tanks - adjusting the level of oxygen. He needs 2 portable tanks in the car, in place of his concentrator. And even at that, the portable tanks give short bursts of oxygen, instead of "free-flow" continuous oxygen as the concentrator does.

So this decision does not come as a surprise.
However, once it's made - there's no turning back.
It's another "step down".

To My Mother

Happy Birthday Mom. You would have been 85 today! Ten years ago this past May, your body left our Earth to travel somewhere else.

"Where are they?" my little sister lamented, referring to both our parents, who had died within 8 weeks of each other.

Good question. It gave me hope. That they could actually "be" somewhere. Not just dead and gone.

My mother bought a hibiscus plant way back in the 80's. She took good care of it and it bloomed well for her. After she died, I took it to my house. It bloomed well for me too - until the last 2 years.

I thought that perhaps it was coming to the end of it's life, so put it in a shady section of my garden.

Early this morning, clad only in nightgown and barefeet (couldn't be bothered to find my flipflops), with coffee mug in hand, I stepped out on my back deck to wish my plants "good morning".

After making the rounds, I felt something pulling me over to the shady nook where Mom's hibiscus rested. It seemed quite happy in this quiet shady spot, under the protection of a lilac tree, while lily-of-the-valley leaves tickled its feet (those fragrant little bell-like flowers are long gone, leaving only the leaves behind).

Maybe it was the muses.... maybe it was my thinking about Mom on her birthday and how much pleasure this large, but lush and beautiful plant had given her over the years.... but when I walked over for a closer look.......I was astonished to see a bloom! One bright pink bloom . Right on her birthday!

I could not believe my eyes. So I took a pic (above) and one more from a different angle. It had been raining earlier, so I wasn't sure how the pics would turn out. But it doesn't really matter. All of us can see her happy hibiscus flower smiling down on everybody.

I think flowers are magic, don't you?

The Long and Winding Road

On Saturday I went to visit littlest Grandson in Ottawa.
This was the trip I had wanted to make 2 Saturdays ago.
Back then, it was a perfect summer day and I really really wanted to make that trip.
I didn't work out, so I went for a walk that turned out to be special anyway.

This Saturday, it was also a perfect summer day.
Hubby is feeling fine now, so off I went.

We had a picnic lunch in Gatineau Park. The sun was shining, light breeze blowing, bugs stayed away. My daughter-in-law made the lunch, so it was a treat for me! I'm often still in "mother mode" and take it upon myself to make all the food whenever we get together as a family.
So, it felt good to be spoiled.

Littlest Grandson was a joy. He's 6 months now and growing nicely.
Eldest Son and his Lovely Wife look happy.
Which makes me happy too.

As I was driving home, BearNaked's poem kept buzzing around in my head:

Dust bunnies Dust Bunnies
Where did you go?
I've looked everywhere
Up Down High and Low
Now Dust rabbits appear
Where you were on the floors
But I don't care
'Cause it's summer Hare

I decided to make up my own version:

Dust Bunnies Dust Bunnies
How do you do?
We're under the bed
Laughing at you!

Dust Bunnies Dust Bunnies
Still on the floor?
We've turned into rabbits
We'll hop out the door!

Dust Rabbits Dust Rabbits
Where have you gone?
We're leaping and jumping
All over the lawn!

Ah well, what can I say? It was a loooong drive.

Weed Walk on Wednesday

Won't you join me for a weed walk?

Here are some bright orange flowers that grow everywhere...

And lovely lavender ones that seem to like ditches...

Morning glories climbing up to get a better view of life...












Oops.....

Buttery yellow little puffy flowers, so sweet. I used to suck the nectar as a child.

Wild clover.... ummm - just waiting for the bees...

And simple white daisies, their faces turned to catch the morning sun.

"Do you like butter? " says one child to another while vigorously rubbing some buttercups under her chin.

Weeds are so pretty - I wonder why people try to get rid of them?