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.

In Defense Of Social Media

On the front page of our paper today is a feature on Facebook, other social medial and Internet use by AP Technology Writer, Barbara Ortutay.

By today's technological timing, the survey by the Annenberg Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California is stale. It was done last year.

I have written before on families spending time together. Less families sitting around the dinner table discussing their day has been a fact of life for a long time now. When mothers started working outside the home, families started to have less "quality time" together. For most families - especially today - this is a necessity.

Handled well, I am in favor of "Social Media". In fact, it helps many families who are separated by distance stay in touch. I do not do much but converse and hope I do not offend too many when I do not play a game or join a group.

Hubby and I only have one granddaughter living in our city and the rest are very much scattered. It is much easier to get an answer to how the others are doing on Facebook than any other way.

I also like that Facebook lets me connect with local people I might not have known very well otherwise. Also, it is much easier to go to the computer and get an overview than to telephone people. Quick telephone calls often become half an hour and that may be time that most of us do not have.

I also very much like Twitter but for a different reason. It lets me pick those things I want to know about and I can go there and get a quick rundown of what is going down. I can see the latest news without commercials and without a producer prioritizing what he/she thinks I want to know.

I don't have all the gadgets and gizmo's on my phone so I actually sit at a computer and check various things a few times during the day.

For seniors who keep up with the technology, it is a blessing to have new ways to connect with grandchildren in other areas.

It's Time . . . David Letterman . . . To Retire!

Take a closer look at this photo. You might recognize David Letterman in his hay days at NBC in the later time slot (after The Tonight Show) back in 1982. Do you recognize his guest? Well, it's Ozzy Osbourne!

Think carefully about how you feel about these two people 27 years later. Let's leave Mr. Osbourne out of it and ask something relevant to today.

If Jay Leno is moving into Prime Time and Conan O'Brien has moved into the Tonight slot and if you catch Jimmy Kimmel occasionally on ABC, then you know where I am going with this. In fact, Jimmy Kimmel was on in prime time last night before the NBA Finals. These people are creative and witty.

There was a time, back when David Letterman was in the later time slot and wore college-type clothes, that he was funny and fun to watch. The big survivor with Letterman is, of course, Paul Shaffer (a Canadian from Thunder Bay, Ontario, I have to add). Paul has class and he will always have something productive to do.

We really don't watch late night TV anymore. Its target market seems to be people younger than we are and we enjoy being nice and fresh every morning. The latest "headlines" which I won't glorify by mentioning, just prove one thing about David Letterman:

Wake up, Dave - you have had a very lucky 27 years! It is time to pack your bag and retire to Montana!

Happy Flag Day 2009!

Perhaps because I became an American Citizen about five years ago, I am pretty aware of the various patriotic days.

I know I told my readers about someone stealing our flag a few months back - probably President's Day. We went to a back-up flag and I am afraid it will have to be replaced. It has got caught on the eaves a couple of times and now it is torn.

Exactly when do the stores put flags on sale? Exactly when is a good time to purchase a flag and at which store? I'm thinking Hobby Lobby or Wal-Mart?

I do have a story which can be told now.

Back when Hubby and I were working on all the requirements and knowledge I needed to pass my citizenship, we consulted an "immigration specialist". We noticed the flag flying at her home was tattered. We purchased one for her and left it between her doors one day.

We soon found out that Hubby was the best Immigration Specialist I could have and moved on to our goal without this lady.

I wonder if she ever figured out who might have replaced her flag?

Lufkin Panthers Baseball

As you may have already figured out, baseball is my sport of choice. So, I feel obliged to let you know that our hometown high school baseball team is in the finals in Austin, Texas (the capital) - or more specifically, Round Rock. This game is against El Paso Socorro, rated #1 High School team in the Nation by USA Today!

The big deal for me is that it will be broadcast on FSN at noon (central time). I really like that! Generally, games played before players become professional are very exciting!

Our town is very sports-oriented and the Lufkin high school teams are very popular. I wasn't used to such a nice football stadium and the fact that people buy season tickets to watch.

Many people have gone over to Round Rock to watch the game in person and we wish them all a safe trip and a happy time.

Those of you up north may have seen "Friday Night Lights" which is based on Texas football, so you already know how important High School Sports are here. Of course, school sports teach youngsters a lot of skills necessary to cope in life and additionally, they bring the community together!

Good Luck to our Lufkin Panthers today!

Let's Have Family Dinner At Home More Often!

There is something special about a family sitting around the table having dinner together. I don't necessarily mean for a special occasion like Thanksgiving or Christmas. Jewish families typically come together on Friday evenings. They have dinner at Mom's and discuss the week and what they might want to share with their family. For Jewish people, at dusk on Friday, the Sabbath (Holy Day) begins. It's a nice tradition.

Because our lives are busier - or so it seems these days - why not just bring home some food and set it out in nice dishes on the table with settings for everyone. Perhaps someone else could bring the dessert or you might even try for potluck-style where everyone brings a little something.

It is a warm feeling to be together on one of the weekend days just to chat. It's a good feeling knowing family still care for one another and that problems can be discussed. When you talk something over, it seems to be a little easier to handle. Hopefully, there will be some good news to share as well as problems.

Surely we haven't forgotten what FAMILY is all about! Surely there is still some calm and perhaps even some wisdom to be passed from one to another.

Maybe we should try sitting down to dinner together - not at a restaurant but at home - more often!

Alfred E. Newman: A Fellow Who Was Never Stressed!

If you don't know about MAD Magazine and it's "spokesperson", Alfred E. Newman, then his quote of "What Me Worry?" may be lost on you. Some of us quote that to give an impression of calm. It helps to think of light topics when in fact lots of things around us are going bad - or badly!

Hubby and I like to keep current. We like to know what is going on in the world and sometimes, we realize that perhaps today we receive too much information. Sometimes, we know we have to either turn the television off or turn to an old sitcom, like Seinfeld or Cosby, or a sporting event.

Today, it was so sad to learn that a racist entered the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. and killed a guard. It is miraculous that there were not a lot of deaths considering there were 2,000 people in that building.

Much too often we hear of people being shot - often in schools or churches or workplaces. It is very scary!

The most obvious stress in the past decade was watching live on 9-11 as planes were used as weapons to kill over 3,000 people in United States.

Today, I listened on Blog Talk Radio to Dr. Carolyn Clansy Miller and her mother - both psychologists - discuss handling stress. We also are a family of psychologists with four of them so I'm used to this! (No, no, Hubby is an Engineer!)

Hubby and I talked about it later and discussed how, as the world becomes more crowded and as we currently are going through tough (economic) times, there must be more stress than there was for our parents and certainly our grandparents.

There is no escaping stress! Marriage, having children, job pressure, education, most special life events are stressful. But there is also plenty of stress in day to day living. Just getting places on time, achieving our "to do" lists and getting through each day with a bit of sanity left at the end can cause stress!

Dr. Clansy discussed planning tomorrow tonight and then in the morning, praying for God's help to accomplish our tasks and make it through the day.

I think there is more likelihood of more stress in the city and we sure notice the difference when we go into Houston, or up to Toronto, as we did last month. We live in a small city with a population just over 30,000 and I like that because I don't have to spend so much time commuting to the things I want to do.

You would think that being "retired", Hubby and I would not have much stress but there are still plenty of bills to pay, occasions to attend and commitments to be met. We still live in our own home, so we must maintain our house and grounds and of course there is a vehicle to service.

To live in today's world, we all must learn to cope with stress and to find ways to "turn off" stress. Praying, attending church, dining out, reading a book, listening to music, watching a movie, watching sports and humor, playing board games and cards are just a few ways to turn off the world for a little while. Of course for me, there is scrapbooking and you may have a special hobby that also has a calming effect.

I would be remiss if I did not suggest to you that having pets helps us handle stress. Certainly, Buddy, the Lhasa provides us with a lot of joy, laughter and sympathy every day. My Boxer, "Red" was also very helpful. My Shih Tzu all were in touch with how I felt. The dogs also help us with routine and having someone to care for who does not require a lot more than love and affection.

There is a link to Blog Talk Radio and Carolyn's interesting programs in the sidebar to the right of this blog. I think you will find today's show very interesting and helpful!

Happy Birthday, Michael J. Fox!

One of Canada's greatest exports to United States, is of course, entertainers. Who cannot be proud to have even caught a few performances by Michael J. Fox? He probably is most famous for his role of Alex P. Keaton on the TV sitcom, Family Ties. (Did you know the first choice for this role was actually Matthew Broderick?)

The movie Michael is probably most known for would be Back To The Future and of course, he also was on the TV sitcom, Spin City.

Today is Michael's birthday and he is 48. He was born in Edmonton, Alberta and shows his hometown as Burnaby, British Columbia.

He laments not having finished high school but has attained his GED. He encourages his own children to go on to college for at least a couple of years. We note that this has not really held Mr. Fox back.

Actually, nothing has held him back.

In 1991, Michael was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and did not reveal it publicly until 1998.

Michael has written three books and established a Foundation to assist all aspects of Parkinson's. You might like to hear his philosophy on why he has this disease:

"People always ask me if I say to myself, 'Why me?' and I tell them, 'Why not me?'"

We can certainly learn from this man and surely he is to be highly respected.

Happy Birthday, Michael!

www.MichaelJ.Fox.org

Garbage Tonight: Some thoughts on Garbage, Recycling and Decluttering

Didn't have to look far for pictures of clutter - lots of before and a few after shots! We all have it. All right, there are a few people without any messy rooms - some in new homes, some in homes with extra rooms and of course, Martha Stewart with several homes. And there would be people just starting out who haven't had enough time to collect "stuff" yet.

After all these years, I can still hear my Dad yelling out,

"GARBAGE, tonight!"

This was a task he seemed to enjoy and he was good at it. He was a pretty organized fellow and liked to keep things in rows and piles.

At this announcement, Mother and I were expected to bring any and all contributions to the central area at the back door to the garden.

That 2-storey, typical Canadian house had two sets of stairs to the basement. The two metal garbage cans were kept in the stairwell on the lower part of the back stairs that had a landing. (For you Texans - some stairways have a few steps, then a small flat area called a landing before the final steps to the lower level.)

So, I would collect my garbage from my room and recreation area (don't really have that here in Texas either) and present it to Dad for disposal.

The whole garbage system back them was archaic compared to the Grey and Blue Barrel System Hubby and I have to work with in East Texas. It was even more archaic compared to what I see when I visit Port Hope, Ontario which is a model of eco-friendliness. A few weeks ago, we were visiting an old neighbor on garbage night and the vision of tiny bags of regular garbage with a little sticker neatly affixed and large recycle bags was foreign to me now. The people of Port Hope really know how to do "Garbage Night"!

Well, as you may have surmised, tonight is garbage night and often that motivates us to sort through a few things and actually toss some things out. Here, our regular garbage is picked up one day and recycle another. The grey barrel is the regular garbage and the blue barrel is recycle. The barrels are faced, opening side to the road and the truck comes along and lifts it up and dumps the contents into the truck.

The barrels have wheels on them and a tidy handle so we can roll them back and forth curbside to behind the Azalea bush by the garage. We have just been given new barrels which are larger! Wow! (Perhaps the blue barrels should have been larger and the grey a little smaller, but who am I to argue with City Hall?

The workers were so kind as to actually walk up our driveway to the azalea bush to replace the grey barrel which was not at curbside. So these are really nice people who work with you if you work with them!

Hubby rolls the barrel (appropriate color) down the driveway to curbside the night before and is every bit as organized as my Dad was about "Garbage Tonight".

The bonus about each Garbage Night is that if there is not too much to do on that day, I am often inspired to do some decluttering.

Every magazine you buy has an article on decluttering. They have lots of ideas - a few of which work. (I want to point out that these magazines with the decluttering articles are contributing to the clutter every big as much as the junk mail!) The bottom line is this: Clutter is stuff that has no home because we have junk and stuff we do not use in the drawers, on the shelves and in the closets designed for it.

It is not exactly that we have stuff we don't need. It is more that we have stuff we have saved and stuff we have forgotten. We have stuff that doesn't fit, doesn't suit. We have stuff we could pack neatly and take to a second-hand shop (non-profit or not) or Goodwill. And of course, we have stuff we don't even remember we have! That is a big oops there!

Then there is stuff that really can be bundled up and put to garbage or recycle.

Please note I have not mentioned Garage Sales. There is a reason for that. Hubby and I really and truly detest Garage Sales. We have tried them and in addition to getting up really early, haggling and only taking in $138.26, we always have stuff left. Our time is more precious to us. Sorry, Garage Sale Buffs!

In fact, this is an endless cycle. But you knew that!

Oh, yes - Happy decluttering! I say that because there is genuine satisfaction in making an area neater, more functional and spacious. The problem as you know, is finding the time and no matter how many times we declutter, we find ourselves hurrying and not straightening and tossing on a regular basis as we should!

A Huge Step!

We're going to a wedding this weekend and one in August, so marriages are sort of on my mind today. I could not resist this photo as it depicts marriage better than I can write about it! Getting married is a HUGE step! You never know what is ahead of you!

We oldsters know this and we think about how well suited the couple are to each other, how well they will take care of each other, how good a marriage they will have.

A lot of people are living together and not getting married. That is disappointing to us with old-fashioned values.

A lot of people have a fancier wedding than they need to have and that is also discouraging to us us.

At our church, and probably at a lot of churches, you can go to the minister or pastor, tell him your plans and he will counsel you and help you with your plans.

In our church, you can be married and have a simple reception - as Hubby and I did when we celebrated our 10th anniversary with a Vow Renewal Ceremony.

It is not necessary to have a grand show of attendants or a fancy meal - your real friends will show up, no matter how you "entertain" them.

It seems as though a lot of people have lost the concept of why two people would join their lives and form a union and perhaps a family.

I know that young people never listen to older people. We can tell you to save your money because there will always be emergencies, things to buy, sickness and just plain things you want to do. It is not necessary for you to put your hard-earned money into a lavish wedding or even worse, put it on credit.

Many fine marriages started out with very small weddings. Ours did. Then, we were able to "do it again", still for not very much money ten years later. The most important part is that we are still very, very happy.

Think about it!

Scrapbooking - Information Received and Noted

Most of you know my main hobby is scrapbooking. It is very calming for me and I enjoy the camaraderie of the gals who "crop" with me on Friday nights.

The big deal about scrapbooking is all the stuff you have to lug around. Hubby helps me with this and Scrapbooks & Memories where they have a lovely large crop room is just blocks from home.

Of course, right now I am cropping our trip to Toronto and Port Hope. I have about 98 good photos so I may be a while.

When I was in Ontario, I did buy some Canadian embellishments and opened a pack last night. There was just as much fun on the outside of the pack as on the inside. Inside were a Canadian flag, some maple leaves, a little maple syrup jar, a Canadian coin . . . you get the idea!

On the label . . . and of course, you know I would read the label . . . was the following:

"Dress It Up, Destination: Canada. Imported Items from Taiwan & China. Dress It Up - A Jesse James Company - Bethlehem, PA 18018."

I know it's trivial, but it make me chuckle. I have no comment but I just knew I had to blog that today. Do you have a comment or shall we just accept this as information received and noted?

Advantages Of Being A Great-Grandparent!

Since my cough was gone, Ava was able to come and visit last evening. She is a little more than two and she can string words together extremely well. Of course, this means, everyone has to be careful what is said in her presence! She can draw and drew an apple for us which she identified very coherently.

All right, all right - so your granddaughter can do all this too . . .

This is a great season for me mostly because I have missed seeing a little girl go through various stages - delightful and probably if you are her Mother and with her all the time, perhaps sometimes not!

She left a little scribble on my daily quotation calendar which has been around a long time. See? Stuff like that has been missing from my life! I like to have reminders of Ava!

Ava and Grandpa Keith & Grandma Martha have a special bonding and a loving relationship, mostly because of her Mother. Mother knows just about when to pick Ava up and take her out to her car seat in the SUV for the ride back to her house!

Ah, the advantages and privileges of being a great-grandparent!

And . . . should let you know that Kyla Jayne is doing very well. Many people were asking about her in Toronto and Port Hope. They were all praying for her. We will be seeing Kyla and her sister, Alexis is August in Iowa!

Very importantly: Please pray for our friends, Sarah and her family today. Sarah is four and a half and she will be having heart surgery in Houston this afternoon.

A Merry Heart

Since I just came back from my 50th St.Clement's School Reunion in Toronto, I am thinking about our principal, Miss Evelyn Waugh.

She was crippled very badly with arthritis. Her back was bent and her legs were bandy. Since I was a big girl, she would often summon me to come to the stage to assist her down at morning assembly. It was just one step and I was to put my hand on her elbow and let her arm rest on mine as she stepped down.

When I was in Grade 9 - Form I, Miss Waugh thought I should definitely go into Commerce and Finance at U of T (University of Toronto). So, when she first knew me, she thought I showed promise in mathematics. By Grade 12 she had almost given up on me. (I think she might be watching me now and be pretty happy I have turned my life around.)

Miss Waugh used to give a Merry Heart Award to students that had been noticed as being particularly cheerful.

The Quotation that Miss Waugh would have taken the name of that award from The King James Version of the Bible is:

A merry heart doeth like a medicine; but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

Today, some of us use the New International Version of the Bible and it states Proverbs 17:22 a little differently:

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

If you have read my book, Bumpy Road To Texas, where I address how I was treated at home when I was young, then you know why I never won that Merry Heart award. Miss Waugh probably saw a broken or crushed spirit when she looked deep inside me. (My parents did not give me much in the way of encouragement to make me feel good about myself.)

Today, I see all the time people breaking or crushing other people's spirit. Not too many people can take a lot of criticism and/or rudeness and there is a lot of that in our society today.

There are lots of people - probably not very confident in themselves - who think nothing of casually making a smart or cruel remark to someone. Sometimes, it is someone they hardly even know. I believe a lot of people just do not stop to think before they speak!

Then, it gets worse: a person is spoken to harshly and they respond in kind. In other words, they toss out another ugly remark.

Today, I listened to Nickcole Byrd and Dr. Carolyn Clansy Miller on Blog Talk Radio (see bottom of today's blog or sidebar for link). Today's program was How To Develop A Spiritually Enriched Life. There was talk about how busy we are in today's world and how perhaps we do not walk with God was much as we should.

I do not even pretend to be a theologian, but I do know that if I am a true Christian believer, then I know that God is with me always.

. . . And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. - Matthew 28:20 NIV

Lots of times during the day, I know I can stop for a minute to say a little prayer. Life is not easy. Life is hard. Today, even more so, times are tough and it is harder and harder to be pleasant and forgiving, as we know we should be.

Every time I see someone hurt by someone else, it makes me wonder just how many people really do believe as they say they do? Or, is it simply that they do not stop and think before they make a comment?

You don't have to be a Christian believer to see just how our interactions with others work. It is straightforward and simple. Think about it!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/drcarolynmiller

Stanley Cup Finals . . . in June?

I am sure there is a reason, but I cannot think of what it might be! Why on June 2nd, are they still playing hockey for the Stanley Cup?

Eating Out: Treating Mom And Your Budget!

Everybody should know a nice restaurant where the prices are not outrageous, the food is consistent and the service friendly. Hubby and I are just home from dinner at Joe's Italian Restaurant located in our Mall.

It's a nice little treat, the food is always good and I did not eat too much or too many calories. Joe's has a nice tomato salad with a vinegarette dressing that is very light. I had chicken with angel hair pasta. I ate about half. Hubby went for Cheese Ravoli, and dressed his salad with Blue Cheese. Of course, Hubby does not have to watch his weight!

With tip, our bill was about $21.00 and we feel we had a nice dinner out without breaking the bank.

We noticed when we were away and had to eat out that several restaurant chains were offering some very nice packages. Applebee's has two entrees and an hors d'oeuvre for $20.00 which is a nice special.

If you have children, perhaps you want to go to Cici's Pizza which is always a good buy or to one of several fast food emporiums who are offering specials.

It is a nice break for the entire family and you get to treat Mom to a night out of the kitchen!