Thinking About Melba

One of the first people we met when we moved into the Englewood Subdivision, in November, 1997, was a lady named Melba. She was the President of the Neighborhood Association and there was a meeting at her home to organize the display of Christmas decorations.

In Melba's home was a big central area where you could accommodate lots of people. I soon learned how much she enjoyed being President.

We quickly learned that Englewood was known for its Christmas light display. Most people turned their lights on the first Saturday in December and they went off the day after Christmas.

(In Toronto, I used to drive to neighborhoods known for their displays, now I was living in one! Most people installed lights down their paths and across the curbs. At night, it truly was a "sea of lights".)

Melba and her husband Don, had a large carousel on their corner lot, but the real feature was the giant picture window with dolls. There were dolls of every type and size and they were dressed in elegant Christmas finery.

Great numbers of cars filled with families would slowly drive through the neighborhood with more and more cars as it came real close to Christmas.

At Melba's house, there would be a logjam of cars as people stopped to really get a good look at the dolls.

One of the more interesting parts of the Christmas season - for which Hubby and I volunteered - was the Englewood Patrol. This was a patrol of the neighborhood from 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. and two cars would cruise the neighborhood ensuring all was safe and no damage done. Melba staffed the base with her home CB and each of us had a CB to talk back and forth to let her know how things were going. We put magnetic signs on each side of the car, "ENGLEWOOD PATROL". Usually, Melba would suggest we pack it in about midnight.

I would take leftover Halloween candy and chips for us to munch on and it was a real fun experience for us, We pretty much memorized not only the displays but the streets.

During the year, Melba would organize events and I served on the executive for one year. Melba truly enjoyed her home and her neighborhood.

Melba's hubby made their corner lot spectacular all year round and it was always pretty to drive past. Melba used to walk through the neighborhood with her dogs and I believe that lady knew every inch of Englewood.

(Englewood was developed by the Bryan Family about 45 years ago and when we moved in, many owners were original. We live in a house built by Michael Bryan in 1995 in what is called the "New Addition". Mr. Bryan Senior, told us of the area before he delveloped it. There was a small lake and a little store and it sure sounded a lot like the Simcoe area in Ontario. I like the area because it is very accessible and inside the Loop. I can easily get everywhere I want to go.)

Melba has been missing from sight for some time now while she battled disease, including cancer.

On Independence Day, Melba died. Today at two we will celebrate the lady who truly loved her home, her dogs, her neighborhood.

Good-bye, gentle friend! Thank you so much for the fond memories!

Buy It And You Will Learn To Use It!

I finally got a digital camera for my birthday. Actually, I picked it out myself in Ontario at a Wal-Mart. This camera is already saving me money because I have been using one time use digital cameras I was purchasing from a drug store chain. (I would take them back and they would make me a disk to put into my computer along with a set of prints.)

Of course, I had absolutely no clue about operating the new camera. It came with a lot of instructions, gizmos and gadgets.

Hubby (The Engineer) says I learn how to do something by doing it. I have no idea if he meant that to be good or bad. Generally he makes pretty nice comments about me so I have to take it as simply factual: I learn by doing.

We all remember how many times we have learned by doing something wrong. I don't think that is what he meant. No, not at all. I think he just simply sees me sit down, fiddle with something and keep at it until I get it going.

My grandmother used to say I had a lot of patience, and I guess either that is true or I am just plain foolish.

Well, anyway, I am still learning how to take pictures and then link the camera to my computer and upload them. I have a nice program called Picasa3 and my pictures actually end up in that program and I can edit them quite nicely, thank you. I'm certain you recognized one of my favorite subjects up there, Buddy the Lhasa.

I don't really have a strong point to make to my readers today other than if you want to do something, like use a real digital camera, do so. Buy it and you will learn it!

That might be a useful message in a time when there are a lot of new devices and gadgets - all that take time to learn, unless you are a teenager!

Michael Jackson 1958 - 2009

This is a nice photo I found of Brooke Shields with Michael Jackson, quite a few years ago. Brooke was one of many who spoke or entertained today at the Memorial Service for Michael at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It ran for over two and a half hours.

I am not sure what we were expecting, but what we watched today - and it was on all the major television networks without commercial interruption - was very fine indeed. A fine tribute.

We, at a distance, will never know the torment of this person or others who have been pushed into the limelight by parents and promoters. Rest in Peace.

Happy 100th Birthday, Mabel Miller!

Today, Mabel Miller is 100 years old. That seems like a landmark - and it is - but it would be nice if everyone who reaches the century mark could still be well, healthy and alert. None of us wants to be otherwise.

Mable's daughter and son-in-law are Nina & Will Stambaugh. The picture above is from my Citizenship Party five years ago when Mabel was still enjoying life. She often came to Angel of Joy and is just one of the sweetest ladies we have had the privilege to know!

If you look carefully in the background you can see my good friends, Jo White and Bonnie Larson, part of the Team who made that party such a success!

One Fine Show for July 4th - Clay Walker and Houston: You Did Yourselves Proud!

Last night at Eleanor Tinsley Park in Houston, Freedom Over Texas was celebrated with country singer Clay Walker. You probably know the temperatures down here are very high 90s and early 100s F., and yesterday - July 4th - was no exception!

We watched (on TV) as Clay Walker gave an standing outdoor audience of about 100,000 the show of a lifetime.

There was a tribute to NASA who will celebrate July 20, 1965 - 40 years since Alan Shepherd landed on the moon. Do you recall where you were when you heard those words:

"One Small step for man . . . One giant leap for mankind", voiced by Astronaut Alan Shepherd"? Can it really be 40 years ago?

There was a magnificent fireworks display to music - Big like Texas!

No tax dollars paid for this concert which was underwritten by Shell Windenergy.

Clay Walker just sang and sang - with most of the audience singing along with him - until his shirt was soaked with perspiration and his hair soaking wet.

As an aside, Clay Walker is a Texan himself and his Galveston home was damaged during Hurricane Ike. He is currently living in the Nashville area.

Thanks for some truly fine entertainment!

Happy Independence Day!

This is a photo of me at my Citizenship Party (at Angel of Joy Lutheran Church) back in October, 2003. I had fulfilled all the requirements to be an American Citizen and had passed the test with 100%. (I was actually sworn in at the beginning of 2004. The procedure was lots of work and we were happy to conclude it. (The great hat was a gift from my friend, Bonnie!)

As I look back on that party now, I think we probably could have made the party even more special if we had realized that Judge Barry Bryan was in attendance and he could have sworn me in.

It was a really super party with about half of the Lufkin Community Band (where Hubby plays clarinet). The played lots of patriotic music and many of their spouses attended as well.

About 150 people came and went that night and parties don't get much better!

God Bless all those American Men and Women who are away from home today serving us around the world to keep our country free. Freedom comes at a price and God Bless all those families who have lost a loved one in this Service.

Hope you have a wonderful celebration and get to hear lots of great patriotic music today.

In our area, we also have Attorney Mike Love & Associates along with Brookshire Brothers providing a mammoth fireworks display at the Ellen Trout Zoo in Lufkin. Thanks for supporting our community, Mike!

God Bless America!

What I Write About and Why

There is a blog about The Hardest Part Of Having A Dog which has been getting very kind remarks. Don't forget that you can also send a Comment that can be posted at the actual blog. (In the right sidebar are instructions for leaving a comment.)

There is also a link to my blog about dogs in the right column on this page.

If you would like to read about the Hardest Part . . . , you can also cut and paste or type in this link:

http://fido-and-fifi.blogspot.com

Thank you to those who have taken the time to comment on this article which came straight from my heart and experiences with my own dogs.

I learned a long time ago that a writer needs to be able to write what he knows. I am blessed because I am able to write different types of writing from technical to general business to public relations to news accounts and personal experiences.

I have never had a lot of success with fiction: it is not interesting to me to make up something when I find life itself so full of wonderful events and emotions of all kinds!

Comedy writing is the hardest for me to do with good results and I have never figured I could work for Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien or David Letterman.

Did you know that Conan O'Brien was a comedy writer for The Simpsons, earning something like $30,000 a year when NBC picked him to fill David Letterman's time slot following Jay Leno's Tonight Show? Now, Conan is himself doing the Tonight Show, the longest running late night talk program! This program goes back to the original Steve Allen version, followed by Jack Paar, Johnny Carson and Jay Leno. True, guests have also contributed to the longevity of The Tonight Show, but the hosts have had to do a monologue every night at the top of the program. The monologue has to be topical and current and within the confines of what the Legal Staff can defend. It is no mean feat for each of these comedic personalities to interview literally thousands of guests, some of whom came to the studio in less than best form.

No, I never felt I could write comedy and have always admired those who could. I think it is good to know what you cannot do well!

When I was a child, I used to go off to the recreation room in the basement of our family home in Toronto and write. So, you could say I have always written. I love writing!

If you read Leon Hale . . . and there is a link to Leon's blogs in the right column here . . . you will know that he just loves to write as well. Now, Leon Hale has written for The Houston Chronicle for a long, long time and another publication before that. He . . . or so he makes it seem . . . just rocks on his front porch out in the country, with his laptop, and spins his column or blog as we call it today. I really admire him and know I could never attain the readership this man has.

I hope you will forgive me for writing on such a sad topic as the short lives of our dogs, but I knew it would be something many, many people could relate to and you are commenting to that effect.

(Note: Yes, that is "Buddy" the Lhasa in the picture taken by my dear friend, Nina, when he first came home to us, a rather shy and nervous fellow at ten months. There are plenty of photos posted of him now so you know he quickly adapted to our household which he now runs and I guess it would be fair to say some of his photos present him as a bit cocky, shall we say?)

Precious Little Girl Pondering A Cookie!

So, I guess I call this photo, "Precious Little Girl Pondering A Cookie". Finally, I have my birthday camera set up with my computer. I have lots to learn about it but I am literally jumping with glee over the fun I am going to have with it!

Imagine how nifty it will be to take pictures in Iowa of granddaughter Keri's wedding in six weeks? (Of course, I won't know till I get home if I did okay or not, will I?)

Do you recall your first camera? When I was about seven, my aunt and uncle gave me a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye, also for my birthday.

My parents took me to Niagara Falls for a visit and that is where I got to use my camera for the first time. I have already scrapbooked some of those photos. First, they are black and white. Second they are really small and lastly, that is IT. No I do not mean "IT" as in "Information Technology", I mean, that is all there is. (No cropping, no sizing, no lightening it up.)

One of the pictures from Niagara is of my Dad on a huge dock. Man, oh man, is he frowning! Well, I guess he had stood there quite a while as I fiddled with how to actually press the button and click the shutter as they used to say. What is outstanding about that photo is its clarity! Guess he was not expecting me to do so well!

Well, this photo of Precious Ava is not my best photo of her, but it sure does illustrate that you can get some lovely clear shots without the other person even blinking! She was not interrupted at all!

Some of the first photos I took are really nice of her mother and Ava and there is no red eye, no blur, no bad anything. WOW!

Now, Hubby thought I would be a long time learning the camera which was a bit discouraging. I told him of the experience of the really crisp photos with my first camera and tried hard to bolster my own confidence. Once Hubby set up the software on my computer, and I fiddled a little while with it, I had everything from the camera onto the computer. A major plus is that the pictures go into my beloved Picasa3 program.

Thank you, CVS Drug Store for discontinuing your one-time use digital camera. That pretty much forced me to buy a real digital camera. Now I will have more photos than I can ever crop, won't I?

Happy Canada Day - July 1st

It might be my accent. It might be that I tack "eh?" on the ends of my sentences. Whatever it is, I am always going to be Canadian - even if I worked so hard to attain my American Citizenship as well. (Yes, I have dual citizenship.)

There are always reminders and today was no exception. A gal at the scrapbook store was wearing a "Timmins" T-shirt her husband brought back for her. I asked her if she knew Shania Twain lived there when she was young. Well, now she knows.

Last week in the Crop Room where I spend a lot of my Friday evenings, another gal told me about her trip to Prince Edward Island! Wow! She is one of the few people from Texas to visit the little red clay Island! Yes, she visited Anne of Green Gables Home . . . in fact she and her husband renewed their wedding vows there on their 20th anniversary.

Her name is Dee and she had some very fond memories of P.E.I. She said she thought they only had to buy two full meals because they were stopping at the vegetable stands and eating them fresh. She talked about a person making some potato chips and flavoring them specially for them. She has very fond memories of P.E.I. and said she'd like to go back and also see Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

The one thing Texans have trouble with is the vastness of Canada. They mention Lake Louise and Banff in the same sentence as The Maritimes.

Another girl asked me if I was watching The Bachelorette and commented that the gal this time is from Vancouver.

A long time ago, my friend Guesna from Mane Attraction thought it would be a good idea for Hubby and me to take some of my new friends up to meet some of my old friends in Canada. Wouldn't that be fun?

I think I have been a good ambassador for Canada and probably have encouraged a few people to visit. I do wish that Canada would do some more advertising down here to promote tourism. Texans would just love Canada - all of it! Texans love to hunt and they love to fish and we all know they have lots of money! (That was said with my tongue in my cheek, you know.)

Of course, Hubby and I were in Ontario in May. We have visited most years and have also been to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia three times.

Once we drove to Cape Breton Island - it was 7,200 miles round trip. That was the time the little boy in the Sobey's parking lot suggested we had driven a long way for groceries! That time, we also drove through New Brunswick and Quebec. I very much enjoyed seeing New England on the American side.

I also would like for Hubby to see P.E.I. and Newfoundland on the East Coast and British Columbia and Alberta out west.

I consider myself very fortunate to have seen as much of Canada as I have because I sure get lots of questions and I'm able to answer most of them.

I do wish all my Canadian friends a very happy Canada Day 2009!

Wasting Time Perhaps?

In this morning's paper there was a report on the widened gap between younger and older generations. People are living longer and I think many of us are keeping up with the times quite well. I was surprised at the stats they gave especially for computer use because I know a lot of seniors who use computers and use them very well.

I have written before about how much I feel younger people can learn from older people and I wonder if they just do not have the time . . . or make the time to spend time with their grandparents and other seniors. I still believe strongly that young people can learn from older people. History tends to repeat itself and we can see that. We know that. So, is it not logical that if you listen to experiences of older people, you will learn?

Why is it that younger people don't spend more time with seniors?

I think a lot of people . . . including us seniors . . . waste time. So, it's not that we don't have the time, it's that we waste too much of it.

Time is one commodity you cannot get back. If you spend time talking about drivel or gossiping about someone, you have just wasted some time.

If you watch less than best television programming, you have wasted time.

If you stay up too late, you may have wasted time, but also you have spoiled your chances for a good day the next day.

We need to budget our time so we can take an hour or two to just sit down and chat with someone.

I think almost all seniors make themselves available and welcome visits from younger people. So, are younger people really that busy that they cannot take out an hour to visit?

More likely, they are wasting time on things that are just not meaningful. They worry about things that are not worth it. They spend time with people who are not worth it.

Many young people do not realize how smart, pretty or witty they really are. They should set aside a couple of hours a week to visit with family, neighbors or friends and I think they would feel pretty good about themselves and the world when they left to go back home! Hey, if they visit at the right time, they might get a fine meal as well!

Keeping Current And Staying Cool and Calm!

Hubby and I like to know what is happening in the world and in our own area. We are constantly surprised by people who do not keep current.

We think that keeping up on the news and also knowledgeable about new products and trends helps to keep our minds active.

We can't imagine how people can not at least turn on the news once or twice a day. Can't imagine not reading a paper - a real one or one online.

Ignorance is not bliss but sometimes an overload of the same news can be really disturbing.

This week we have the death of Michael Jackson overtaking the news. At times like this, it is good to get the story and then head for some distractions. When we first started to see the Stock Market crater, I had a list of diversions so we would not go crazy.

TCM (Turner Classic Movies), DVDs of movies we didn't see at the theater, books, music and magazines are all good distractions.

What about a game of cards? What about a board game?

We happen to be in the middle of a major heatwave here in southeast Texas so I am not thinking of any outdoor activities for us. Some of you up north are talking about your gardens and some of you are picking the first berries of the season. You could have lots of outdoor activities to distract you. Of course, you need to have a few gadgets to keep the bugs and insects at bay.

(Let us never forget that it is always something! There just is no truly perfect life.)

Don't forget about calling a shut-in or an old friend. Some of us watch some of the sporting events . . . there is always some sport to watch.

Some days, I set aside a few hours to scrapbook and it is lovely and cool in the crop room where I go.

Some of us have some de-cluttering to do and this would be just the time to sit - by a fan, of course - with a box of old things to sort. Each week I try to toss away just a few more things. There is a certain amount of calm to be achieved from a tidy environment.

So, I wish you some calm today and lots of blessings to count!

Norman Jewison - If You Don't Know The Name, You Do Know His Work!

Here is a photo of Norman Jewison, accepting one of the many awards he has received for his work as a film director and producer. He is, of course another Canadian export and tonight you can watch a special one-hour program about him on TCM. He has directed every kind of film with just about all of the top movie stars, and done it all well!

There is a Film School (Canadian Film Centre) in Toronto which Mr. Jewison founded in 1988 at Windfields which is right in town on Bayview Avenue.

The history of Windfields and the concept of there still being what was a horse farm in the middle of the city is - to me, anyway - also very fascinating.

Windfields was owned by E.P. Taylor, a gentlemen who could be seen shopping in the Dominion Supermarket near his home. It was said that one of his quirks - something we can all learn from - was to never carry money. After lunch out, he would say that he had left his wallet at home and his lunch companion would have to pay the tab. (That is a lesson for today's times, isn't it?)

He was a large, tall man who was one of Toronto - and in fact - Canada's greatest benefactors. He bred fine horses and most people would recognize Secretariat and Northern Dancer as very fine horses.

When Queen Elizabeth would visit Toronto, she would stay at E.P. Taylor's Windfields Farms. That alone was impressive to a young person growning up in Toronto!

So, I have established for you that this was indeed a fine landmark in Toronto.

Everyone wondered what would be come of this land - would it become subdivisions of homes?

So, when Mr. Jewison took it over and built The Film Institute there, he too was a blessing to Toronto.

It is not possible to list for you all of Mr. Jewison's works. He has worked with most of the major film stars over the years. I will tell you that Jesus Christ, Superstar; Fiddler On The Roof; The Russians Are Coming and The Thrill Of It All were among his works. So, you definitely know his work!

We will record (as we still say) this program tonight as I'd like to know a little bit more about a man who did so well in the movie industry but never forgot his roots!

Needing Some Diversion?

Today it was 101 degrees F. on our patio. So, here is a beautiful photo looking out the window at a patio and backyard lightly dusted with snow - like it would be in a Toronto winter. I was envisioning that winter window today and it helped me. Of course, I was inside with beautiful air-conditioning and fans going . . .

In fact, at Bush International Airport (Houston) today, they broke the record with 102 degrees F. This was not a day to be real active here!

Then, today, we also were trying to process the deaths of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, two people who may have had a lot more problems than you and I. May they rest in peace. May their families process what has happened to them as you and I would have to if it were one of our family.

On other news, we saw yet another public figure lose the faith and trust people had placed in him when they chose him to govern.

There was not a lot of good news today except for the market ending higher today.

If we really think about it, we do a lot better than a lot of people, including many influential public figures. Think about it indeed!

Oliver's Home Again!

We live in a neighborhood, on a crescent, where people still care about most of the others living here. It used to be really organized when we first moved here, but twelve years later, many people have moved on and its hard to know all of the neighbors like we used to.

Driving in this afternoon, there was a little white dog (much like the one in the photo) on the road and not very far away was a young lady of about ten. She had a squeaky toy in her hand and when she saw us, she flagged us down:

"My dog got away . . . I live at number 409 - red brick and I need some help. He's part of family and I can't get him back. . . "

Long story short, we drove around to number 409 and I got out of the passenger seat, walked up the path and knocked and rang the bell at the same time.

I was a little nervous, I might add.

A very nice lady called out right away and then came to the door. She said her husband was on his way home and she has asthma (it's over 100 degrees here today) and . . .

I got her to get into the car with us and we turned around and went back to where an older child was standing with her daughter who had Oliver by the collar now. We got the dog and his young mistress into the back seat and drove them back to 409.

Everyone was very grateful and the mother's main comment was:

"God sure was watching and sent you folks along at the right time!"

Don't you just love stories like that . . . especially if they are true?

Weight: Always A Battle For Some Of Us!

The top picture was taken the day Hubby and I were married in 1996. The second picture is from our trip last month. In the twelve and a half years, I have lost quite a bit of weight but more than that, I lead a happy life and it shows.

Two major things I see (in addition to the weight loss) are that I stopped coloring my hair a few years ago and very importantly, I try now to wear some colors that are not so dark and clothes that are less formal. I definitely feel better about myself and tend to pay more attention to others and how they are feeling.

Some of you know that I belong to www.richardsimmons.com and there is a common element I can easily see when a group of people trying to lose weight are together. That is that many of us have had a lot of problems in our lives.

I must quickly add that Richard himself does not belong to that "club". His major problem was being born and raised in New Orleans where food is an art form. (It is bad enough for me that we often eat at Ralph & Kacoo's, where The Good Times Roll all the time!)

Food can be almost like medicine. When things go wrong, people reach for a sweet or a nice big bag of chips. Of course, alcoholism is similar in that a person reaches for the bottle, don't they?

Another thing that can contribute to overweight is medicine. There are some - especially steriod drugs for arthritis for example - that make you feel very, very hungry.

Anyone who has read my book, Bumpy Road To Texas, knows that my childhood and first marriage were difficult. I see the same signs in other people who have a weight problem.

The big thing isn't just losing the weight - by watching calories and exercising - but keeping it off!

It only takes a few days of overeating to start piling the weight back on.

After Hurricane Ike, I had severe back pain and after a pretty rough diagnosis, and using a cane for several months, I had a course of physical therapy. That helped me immensely and when we were away, I did not have to use a cane very often.

Since I have been back, I have been able to start exercising again as well as watching more carefully what I eat.

Something that helps me a lot is Hubby's attitude. He understands what I am trying to do and I also try to make it so he can eat a little more because he no longer needs to lose any more weight, although he did at one time.

If you have young children, try to pay special attention to their eating healthy and even more than that, give them lots of praise and love. It is natural for children to eat more if they do not feel the love from family and friends. (Food is love for many people.) Of course, children need to be out exercising so their time at the game console and television needs to be monitored.

If you are older and wanted to lose weight, try to enlist the people closest to you to help you. If you are thin and someone in your household is trying to lose weight, try to give them little compliments and please, please, go along with the foods you know are healthy for them.

And . . . more than anything else . . . try to keep moving. Many types of exercise are pretty passive. It will still help you to feel better as well as keep your weight down.

Good Memories for Father's Day

It would be hard to find a nicer or happier photo of a father and son that this one! This is J.D. Sutton (Dee) and Hubby about twelve and a half years ago. It was taken when we stopped in at Keith's Father's on our way to Texas after being married in Niagara Falls.

J. D. Sutton died almost a year later, at age 94, in his recliner with his devotion book in his hand. If we could choose how we die, wouldn't that be just about perfect?

You can tell from the smiles what kind of relationship Keith and his Dad had. They talked on the phone every week and Keith has lots of interesting and cute stories to tell about his Dad.

His Dad thought a good job for Keith would have been a Greyhound Bus driver and if you think about it there are a lot of perks to that! You get to wear a uniform, see the country and get a great pension when you retire!

Keith was the first in his family to graduate college (Mechanical Engineering) and I think his parents were pretty proud of him.

Keith got his first job the same place as his Dad worked - the Marathon Refinery in Robinson, Illinois. His second job was with Exxon in Aruba. Think about it: the people of Robinson all thought he was crazy! He had a wife (Jayne) and two children and he was taking off for a tropical island. Must be insane!

After they had been there a while, Keith convinced his parents, Dee and Mary, to fly to Aruba to visit for three weeks. The climate there was just about perfect and after a while, Dee Sutton was sitting on Keith's porch, rocking with a Heineken Beer in his hand,

"Yup, if a fellow had a decent job here, he could really enjoy this place!"

Keith and his sister, Louise often speak of how fortunate they were to have such wonderful parents. I hope you have fond memories of your Dad . . . or another father figure on this Father's Day!

A Good Way To Be Remembered!

When I was about three and a half, my Aunt Josie made me a smocked dress. It had smocking (a stretchy sort of embroidery) across the top front and a hem about a foot deep. So, the hem could be let down and the bodice would easily fit larger sizes. I wore that dress for special occasions until I was about eight. Aunt Josie died when I was four but I never forgot the lady who made that dress; her smile and how she was the only person to sit in a fragile antique living room chair. She took in her sister-in-law, my mother, when mother was orphaned at age 14; she golfed; she loved life and treated everyone very well. She had asthma and died so young.

We remember people like my Aunt Josie not because they are famous or rich but because they are so gentle and kind and loving. I do have photos of her and I have cropped some of them in scrapbooks of my parents. Such a kind, gentle person! She didn't live long but was remembered well.

In May, when we were in Port Hope, visiting our friends, my friend Judy took the photos above of her young granddaughter, Charlotte who is three and a half with Hubby and me. We had not seen her for almost two years and it sure was fun to see what a "girly" girl she is. (Charlotte is William's sister and you have already been introduced to Wil!)

So, when I was cropping these photos last night, I looked for some real girly paper. I found a sheet that is really cute and even had a lipstick on it.

I sat down to lay out my page and I saw these letters - "BFF". You know, I am a senior and I am Canadian, so I asked out loud to my colleagues in the crop room:

"Girls - does anyone know what this means on this paper - 'BFF'?"

The chorus was everyone's voice and it was loud resulting in smiles and giggles:

"BEST FRIENDS FOREVER!"

I loved it! Maybe Charlotte will remember me as the lady who brought her a shirt from Texas and gave her a "manicure" and "pedicure" back when she was three and a half! That would be a special way to be remembered!

FIT Kids Act

This was the scene last year when Richard Simmons took his campaign to put Physical Education back into the American school system to Washington. Richard appeared before Congress and he also led the workers on Capitol Hill in the workout you see above.

The Bill is in the works but it needs everybody's support.

Today - Friday - Richard is in New York City. He was doing promos yesterday and today he will be leading a rally on the New York City Hall steps.

If you go to http://richardsimmons.com, you will find more information about this endeavor as well as a letter you can send to the appropriate people to get this FIT Kids Act (H.R. 1585 / S. 634. passed. There are also addresses and links to others who are in power to get this bill included when No Child Left Behind is reauthorized.

Everybody recognizes Richard Simmons as a person who had a weight problem himself as a child and was able to turn his life around by physical workouts and healthy eating. The wonderful part, of course, is that Richard has helped people everywhere - like you and like me - to feel better and live better lives.

Here is what Richard himself says about this Bill:

"Every child deserves to be fit, healthy, and ready to learn, especially in these difficult times. Please join the bipartisan coalition that is supporting this extremely important legislation.

"The present generation of children may not live as long as their parents due to obesity and inactivity. You have the power to prevent and change this."

A Crew To Salute!

Just before noon today, Eastern time, Continental flight 61 from Brussels landed safely in Newark (NJ) . The pilot, aged 61, died mid-flight. Two others took the controls and continued the flight.

The pilot; whose family and friends will be very upset, of course; died with his boots on, as they say. That is probably the way most of us would like to go . . . in the middle of doing what we usually do every day.

This story should give us all confidence that when we fly, we are with professional people and that is very encouraging. Let us take a minute to thank God and to salute the crew on this flight.

Recycling - Let's Talk About It!

Before we went to Toronto in May, we heard that they were charging for paper or plastic grocery bags at the stores. So, I bought a few cloth bags in Texas to give our friends and found a few Canadian ones to bring back home to Texas. In East Texas, we are just starting to take our own cloth bags to the supermarkets. Some of the stores are offering the bags for as little as fifty cents and most are only $1.00. Most have attractive designs and it is easy to just put them in the back of the car and then put them in your cart at the store.

Hubby used to tease when I first came here that he had to accompany me to the store because I had difficulty understanding when the check-out person was asking me - in what was an accent to me - "Paper or Plastic?"

We have just been issued new, larger recycling bins (on wheels) in our city. They have a handle and are easily rolled to curbside. We have one day for recycle pickup and another for regular garbage which goes in a new grey barrel. (The barrel system was in effect when I came here over twelve years ago but they have just assigned new, larger barrels.)

I better explain that these barrels are designed to be facing with the opening side to the street. The truck is designed to pick up the barrel, lift it and tip its contents into the back of the truck.

I sure would have loved to have a wheeled barrel for all those newspapers I had to put into a blue box in Thornhill and carry 100 feet to curbside. What I used to do, actually, was carry what I could and go back for some more papers until I had them all at curbside. You might know, if you are a regular reader, that we used to subscribe to three papers at that time in GTA (Greater Toronto Area).

When I go back, especially to Port Hope, I am always interested in the very small portions of regular garbage that people place at curbside, alongside a large bag of recycle. When I first moved to Port Hope, I was delighted to see how well their program worked. It worked so well that by the second year I was there, they were able to build their own recycling plant in the county.

I am never sure why many people are not into the habit of recycling. It is really pretty simple once you get the hang of it. One thing our city does not take in the recycle is glass and I was sorry when that was ruled.

On recycle nights there are precious few blue barrels on our street and that makes me feel sad.

Since I have been here, we have had the slogan "Don't Mess With Texas" and they do have groups of volunteers who pick up refuse from the shoulders of the highways. I still wonder why people toss stuff out of their cars onto the side of the road in the first place.

We have just posted nice signs around town to tie in with our Lufkin Panther Sporting Teams to indicate that we should not litter. That's a good touch of "Pride".

It's much easier than you think to have two containers in your kitchen to separate your refuse at the source. We also have a box set aside for newspapers, magazines and junk mail. I hope you are seriously thinking of how you dispose of what you no longer need.

So that I leave you smiling, we also have something that goes by several names - ours is an "Insinkerator" to be precise - which works well for many items as long as you remember not to place your cutlery in that sink! You must be careful to follow the manufacturer's instructions on that one but it is handy!

Ah, yes, I should tell you that one person in Thornhill did have a large garbage can on wheels although now I know it would have been difficult for the workers to empty into a regular old-fashioned truck. Since everyone thought it was nice to have her in the neighborhood, I am sure nothing was ever mentioned. That was Anne Murray (the singer) who lived just the other side of the Pond.