Alzheimer's Is Our Enemy

Our friend, Jimmy Squyres, died this spring after about 10 years of Alzheimer's. His

son and daughter-in-law - Jonathan & Julia - are walking tomorrow. His widow,

Charlotte, is a friend and fellow scrapbooker. If you can donate any amount - no

matter how much, it will be appreciated.

This is the link to donate on their page:

http://www.kintera.org/faf/donorreg/donorpledge.asp?ievent=4

54601&supId=332962116&msource=bfgetwordout&ref=nf

2011 Walk to End Alzheimer's - Lufkin, TX

Change Equals Challenge

Most people find change hard. That is a statement most of us can agree with but the truth us that in our lifetimes we must undergo many changes. Change equals challenge

Illnesses or deaths of a close friend, relative or spouse probably present our biggest challenges.

Loss of a job means tremendous change especially now when jobs are very hard to find. This can cause us to change our daily routine.

Loss of relationship is not always because of death. Sometimes people move and sometimes people change how they feel about one another. That would include divorce and any type of breakdown of a relationship.

So, if we find ourselves somehow out of the circle, what should we do?

The first thing to remember is to NOT stay inside the comfort of our homes. Indeed, we MUST step outside of our "comfort zone".

People are not going to come knocking at your door, so you must get out and "knock" on theirs.

When there is a death, for instance, you can pretty much count on people giving those left lots of attention for about three weeks. So, then what should you do?

Well, for us, church represents a big part of our life. Hobbies like quilting, sewing, knitting scrapbooking, photography often open doors to being in groups of people with the same interest.

Most times we reach out to others, rather than sitting in the corner waiting for them to come to us, we are pleasantly surprised.

Volunteer to help others and visit people who cannot get out so easily. You will find it helps you as much as it helps others!

Step out and see how much you can make your life special by forgetting your problems and doing interesting things with interesting people.

Be the one who "shows up" and see how a circle of new friends surrounds you!

American Flag, a photo by bunnyfrogs on Flickr.

Where Were You?

This weekend, everyone is going to relive that horrid day on September 11, 2001.

I know I have written about this before. Probably because I am an immigrant, I may have felt differently that day.

We were packed to drive to Terre Haute, Indiana to Hubby's reunion at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. (For you Canucks, that is an engineering college.)

We saw the same images that you saw on your television. It was horrifying! Peter Jennings was at the ABC News Desk.

My Toronto mentality - from when I was a child - was to "drive north". That is what my Father always said we should do if there was a bomb or other catastrophic event.

(If you drive north from Toronto . . . up Yonge Street or Highway 11 or over to 400 Highway and just keep driving, you will be in isolation and far away from a target for terror.)

Well, that morning, that was my first thought. Then I realized that we would be driving north but just to "middle America".

I had not yet been able to attain my American citizenship but I went to the box for my passport and made sure I had that.

We called our neighbor, Lela, to tell her we were leaving.

"Be vigilant! Watch everything. Know exactly who and what is around you. That is what they are saying to do."

Lela's daughter, a broadcaster, called on my cell phone a few hours later to find out how we were doing and if we were able to get gasoline. The answer was that often the stations were out of fuel and there were long lines at all of them. So, we were stopping often.

We called ahead to the college and they assured us the reunion would be held. (We found out later that some people who were going to fly had to rent cars instead.)

We found red, white and blue ribbons in a fabric store on the way and pinned them on our lapels.

At our stop the first night, which was likely Benton, Arkansas, we turned on the TV to see Peter Jennings still manning the ABC News desk. He too was from Toronto; I think you know that.

When we were almost to Terre Haute, Keith's cousin, Shorty Clements (who has a Purple Heart from WWII) in Robinson, Illinois gave us a small American flag which we placed on the rear deck of our car.

When we arrived in Terre Haute, we took our things into the hotel and then went out to the church Hubby had gone to as a student. We went in and sat in a pew and red some bible verses.

Yes, the world stopped. It stopped just long enough for all of us to realize just how fragile life is and how precious our loved ones are to us.

God Bless America indeed!

Chaz Bono - Scapegoat For Prejudice Or Teacher of Tolerance?

6th Annual California Transgender Leadership Summit, a photo by skinnylawyer on Flicker.com

Born, raised and living in Toronto for most of my life, I simply accepted that there were many different nationalities and many, many people with different sexual orientations.

People who were not the same color as I; spoke a different language than I and gay people were just part of the daily routine.

Is there a huge difference between a child born with a clef palate who has surgery to correct it and a person who realizes they are not really the sex they were born and chooses to have that changed?

Tolerance for people different from ourselves, whether they be gay, bi-sexual, transgender, black, yellow, wearing head-coverings, etc. is a trait that I so admire.

Respect for the panhandler on the corner - a person down on their luck - a philosophy that I grew up with which says, "There but for the grace of God go I", is very important to me.

People who have never experienced meeting, befriending and learning from people of other beliefs, problems and lifestyles are to be pitied.

The more kinds of people we meet and/or know, the broader our minds, our thoughts and our lives are.

I cannot believe the press over Chaz Bono being on Dancing With The Stars. I guess they will have their biggest season ever! I personally will be phoning in my votes on the maximum phones available . . .

When we judge the other person without walking a mile in his/her shoes, we show how ignorant we truly can be.

Do you remember how Chaz' father, Sonny Bono, died? Skiing! Do you recall that he was Mayor of Palm Springs? He was not just a "straightman" for Cher!

How many people would not recognize Cher? She still looks fabulous and can belt out a song with gusto like very few others.

How would you like to be a child of these two people? Big shoes to fill! On stage all your life with every action spotlighted. Could you live like that?

I hate that where I live now - still "The South", Whites and Blacks are not that often together. Many churches have only Blacks or Whites in their congregations. I think it is bad now but I have friends who have told me what it was like 40 - 50 years ago and I have to accept that it has changed for the better.

If we only associate, only recognize people who are exactly like us - same education, similar upbringing, same color, same education, we are shortchanging ourselves of learning and all the different cultures, religions and ways to live there are out there.

God Bless and may things go well for Chaz and for his experience on DWTS!

LIVE: Hundreds of Toronto mourners honour Layton - Politics - CBC News

(Click this link to see CBC Live) LIVE: Hundreds of Toronto mourners honour Layton - Politics - CBC News

Even though I am in Texas, I can watch as throngs of people from every walk of life file past Jack Layton's casket which is Lying in State in the lobby area of Toronto City Hall at Nathan Phillips Square. You can see the people waiting outside to come in, six at a time. Even though I am 1600 miles away, I "am there". Thank you, CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation).

Tomorrow, you can go to www.CBCNEWS.ca and watch his funeral at Roy Thompson Hall streaming live. The broadcast begins at 2:00 p.m. Toronto time, 1:00 p.m. Texas time.

By the way, one of my friends from purebred dogs will be singing in the choir.

Thank you for a taste of home, CBC.

R.I.P Jack Layton

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5225/5647024627_4424442f86_m.jpg

On the night of the Canadian Elections this year, I wrote: "The interesting "wild card" was Jack Layton of Toronto who is leader of the NDP (New Democratic Party) who lead them to a historical first time Opposition Party."

(A loose translation of the sign behind Jack in the photo above is "Work Together" and that would be what promoted the NDP to "Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition"!)

Jack Layton died early this morning from prostate cancer. He will go down in the Canadian history books certainly as a person who never gave up. R.I.P. Jack Layton.

The Good Stuff!

Every day, there is news to make us unhappy in the newspaper and on TV. I am not here to review the bad stuff, I want to tell you about THE GOOD STUFF!

I am not going to use the people's own names but I want to tell you that if you look around you - stop and pay attention, there are good people and good deeds to be found every day.

I am going to call her Sarah and she gets her hair done every week at the same time as I do. Well, she did. That was until she was quietly removed from her home and "placed" in a what some call a chronic care facility.

Sarah looked after her POW husband for ten years after he had a stroke and she has been widowed as long as I can remember.

She used to drive up in her black sedan with the POW license every week and walk through the door looking like she really didn't need to have her hair done. Sarah just happens to have great hair!

Sarah was always dressed in smart slacks and top with backless pumps. I remember her appearing in advertisements for a clothing store. Sarah liked to look GOOD!

I do not know exactly why Sarah is out of her home but I suspect that her money is depleted as all we seniors worry about happening. She had a Home Health caregiver who was bringing her to the salon and then one day someone else brought her.

His truck was very high and it took two people to help Sarah get up and into that truck. That was a very bad day because we all knew that was "the end".

We found out where she was and we went to see her. She knew us. She certainly knew us!

The next week we went again to see her and she had gained some weight - her trousers were actually tight! So, she had been eating better. Then, she got up from the side of the bed, stood up and hugged me.

I called as I had the week before to let the folks at the salon know how Sarah was. The next day, the owner of the salon went to see her. She was trying to get permission for someone to come and pick her up and take her back to get her hair done. It was a slow process.

Tuesday, we went again to see Sarah and she was outside with a tall, handsome therapist who was helping her feel secure walking with a walker. She knew us right away and it was another big hug.

Yesterday, Sarah was at the salon - in her usual chair - having her hair done like always.

I wanted to tell people about this because you need to know how Sarah got to the salon yesterday.

The owner got permission from Sarah's family (she has only nieces and nephews) to take her out.

Let's stop calling the owner of the salon "owner" and let's call her what she is - let's call her "Caring" - not Carrie but "Caring".

Caring brought her husband's vehicle to work yesterday because it is lower to get in to. When we arrived, her daughter's car was parked in her covered spot and there was a wheelchair waiting for Sarah if she needed it.

Already, it was getting good and I anticipated a good event was happening!

When Sarah arrived, everyone greeted her and it was just like any other day we had been at the salon.

Perhaps I should also mention that Caring did not worry about whether she was going to be paid. Everyone in the salon greeted Sarah and the nice part was that her memory was so good, she said,

"Hi Martha! Martha has been to see me three times and her husband has come with her. He looked like he didn't mind!"

No, he didn't mind.

If there is a Sarah that you know, perhaps you could step out of your comfort zone and visit them today. Perhaps you could do look in on someone you know is alone.

All said and done, when we do nice things for other people without anticipation of reward, we feel really good inside!

Blessings to Caring and her daughter and all the wonderful people who were there yesterday to see what a fine world it can be!

Do Look At Today's Posting at www.fido-and-fifi.blogspot.com

When Money Is Tight . . .

Back in the middle ages, when I was young, Mother used to have some very nice ladies come to help with the household chores. At least one of them had a husband fighting the war.

The women were kind and they were out working to make some money. They had no union and no chip on their shoulder. The made precious little per hour plus bus fare to and from.

So, today, everyone has a car, I guess. And from what I sometimes see, I have to assume that no one needs any cash.

A friend had a circumstance where the lady who has been helping with the household slammed down the phone on her. I felt she learned something and that there are probably many people today who would help her.

Well, I was right and it was a school teacher whose husband is not getting many hours at his job who volunteered to pitch in.

I was very fortunate recently to meet a student who had never had a job. She helped her mother at home and it wasn't very long before she was coming over to help me with the physical things that are harder for us now.

My neighbor, who always liked to do all her gardening, found a young man from the next street who is doing it for her.

Both these people are friendly, smiling and glad to have some extra cash.

Groceries have gone up in price tremendously but if you look carefully, you can probably go out to eat for a more reasonable price than buying and preparing it yourself. Many places do not charge for children's meals during certain hours/days.

Another thing you will find out when eating out these days, is a more polite server.

Got a glass jar to put change in? You will be surprised how soon you will have enough to buy something you have wanted.

I probably do not have to mention coupons to you but there are lots for groceries, drug store items and restaurants. You can find them in your Sunday newspaper but you can also subscribe for e-mails to be sent from stores.

Entertaining at home is back. You can watch a movie (DVD) or play a card or board game. Check with some of us older people to find out how we made out before all the technology that has taken over the current generation - "Y" - I think they call it. I wonder why they are called "Y"?

I leave that one to you.

More on John Corapi And The New Chapter In His Life

I am very discouraged to see that the picture that I used from the photo service, Flickr, has been removed in my blog about John Corapi, as you will see a few blogs below this one. I am leaving it so you will see that in fact, there are more blemishes in our daily lives than we care to admit.

Father John Corapi - as we knew him - was an ordained priest of SOLT out of Corpus Christi, Texas. He was ordained by Pope John Paul in Rome 20 years ago.

If you do not know the story of John Corapi, briefly, he was a successful businessman in the Los Angeles area who hobnobbed with the entertainment folks who sometimes get into plenty of problems. He himself ended up a cocaine addict, broke on the streets of Los Angeles.

Originally from New York State, John Corapi's mother, a devout Catholic, managed to get letters to her son and finally sent him the one-way bus fare back to Hudson.

(I hope I am capsulizing this well for you without too much detail but with no mistakes.)

When John went home, he went to the local parish priest for a confession. He studied for about seven years overseas and was ordained at the approximate age of 40.

John Corapi has been speaking for many years and has a book (The Black Sheepdog) soon to come out.

We enjoyed watching him on ETWN network on Saturday evenings. His message was always one of perfect sense, based on biblical teachings and applying to today's life.

We are not Catholics, but John Corapi's message was one that just about anyone could benefit from.

The pages on Facebook dedicated to John Corapi - Father John Corapi and The Black Sheepdog have a lot of venom in the postings. This is not helpful to John Corapi, the Catholic Church or any individuals.

God Bless John Corapi and hopefully he will be able to open a new chapter in his life.

Happy Independence Day!

Amercian Flag, a photo by sfPhotocraft on Flickr.

Happy Canada Day 2011 - July 1st

God's Country - At The Top Of Yonge Street.

Stay a While, a photo by Paul.M.Gallaway on Flickr.

If you keep on driving up Yonge Street, North, out of Toronto, after about two hours, you will be in Muskoka, or "God's Country" as Pop used to call it.

It was just a little too long a drive for us today, but I thought about it a lot.

Elaine placed a yellow rose on the grave from the bouquet she placed in St.Mark's Church for me. What a nice thing for her to do.

Those chairs - yes, those empty chairs are together again.

Rest in Peace, Mom, the best mother-in-law a person could have.

Rain, LIghtning, Thunder? That Might Just Be BoBo Talking To You!

On the night Bobo, the Lhasa died, we were sitting quietly in the living room when there was a very loud clap of thunder. Fanny, a Shih Tzu was sitting beside me and I said to her, "That is just Bobo talking to us".

I believe that because I have taught this to my dogs they are not afraid of storms and generally come to sit quietly with me.

In Toronto, when I used to do PR for dog shows, I had the pleasure of twice being on a CFTO-TV program called Toronto Today with a man named Mike Ongarato. Mike was very attractive, had lots of charm and was cut out for an interview format show.

The first time I appeared I was very nervous and Mike was quite calm. I had two Shar Pei with me. I watched that tape often and so the next time, when I had three dogs, I was calm and it was Mike who was a little nervous. We had a Bernese Mountain Dog, a Cairn Terrier and my own Shih Tzu puppy, Sadie. At one point, Sadie - in full coat - had her backside to the camera and we had to lift and turn her. It is a great tape to watch! I tell you this to let you know that Mike's strong suit was interview. He had a knack for putting you at ease.

Now, when I came to Texas, I found that it is a pretty good training ground for weathermen. I have watched as their eyes glaze over when they are talking about major weather . . . and we do sometimes get some major weather, believe me!

Probably the most notable weatherman we had in Toronto was a fellow named Percy Saltzman on CBLT -TV who used to wind down his forecast by tossing his chalk up in the air and saying,

"And that's the weather tonight!"

I know they don't use chalk anymore, but that's what made Percy notable.

Well, back to Mike Ongarato. One week when the weatherman - Dave Devol - was on vacation, CFTO put Mike in the weather slot on the evening newscasts. It so happened we did not have very nice weather and mid-week, Mike stood before the camera, mentioning he had had a few calls about the bad weather. I never forgot Mike saying,

"I am just reporting the weather forecast. Please don't shoot the messenger!"

At Carolina 14, there is a wonderful friend named Lee Ringer who can give you weather like he is telling you about Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs. Lee came to our area out of college, so I guess this was his boot camp. He gets up to be at the station before the crack of dawn to make sure he has everything just so for the people getting ready to go to work, One of his favorite things to do is visit classes of school children. Lee is a natural.

So, as I sit here tonight with thunder, lightening and threats of worse around me, I think of all the weathermen. We have a fellow named Brad who just reports the weather and does it very well. It has been a terrible week for us because we have had forest fires - the worst ever in the area. So we have prayed for rain.

Now, tonight, the rain began and tree limbs were blowing down and the phone was ringing with the alerts that very bad weather could be coming.

Oh, yes . . . no rain to speak of this whole year and tonight . . . well, be careful what you wish for.

John Corapi: I Think A Smart Network Executive Has A Spot For Him!

Today, twenty years after his ordination, John Corapi is packing it in as a priest in the Catholic church.

This is very sad as this is a person who had such a fine message and so much to share with all of us, no matter our belief.

If the mainstream networks are “on the stick”, they will give this man his own program and hopefully in a time spot similar to what he had – 10:00 p.m. Eastern on Saturday nights. (EWTN)

An anonymous person sent a letter of accusation against this man and in the Catholic church, the priests are now guilty until proven (if ever) innocent. This is a direct contravention of the American legal system.

It has been so long with nothing happening, that it is indeed time for John Corapi to now move on with life and help others as he has been doing all these years.

To listen to what John Corapi says himself, here is the link:

www.theblacksheepdog.us

There is a special John Corapi Facebook page, just put in The Black SheepDog at the top of FB.

So Letterman can retire and John Corapi will bring us some real solid programming. (In case no one has Saturday night open . . .)

God Bless!

Bone Marrow Doners - Do Read About this 15-year-old's Bucket List

Alice Pyne of Ulverston, United Kingdom is 15 and has already had a bone marrow transplant. Yes, she is only 15 and she has a bucket list.

Go to the link below to read about Alice and how she has the British House of Commons supporting her.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-13742983

Happy Birthday, John Edwards . . . and a Few Others!

John Edwards, a photo by Llima on Flickr.

John Edwards is 58 today.

So? Not so surprising that this fact was stated in the People column that appears daily in the newspaper.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Queen Elizabeth is 90 today. He has done well for himself, the Queen and England. Nice and tall and always at her side.

My sister-in-law is . . . well . . . about 61 today. She is a great gal who has had some sadness in her life but has been true and loyal to family and friends. She is a great gal!

The President's daughter, Sasha Obama is 10 today. She and her sister have done well. They have a grandmother who watches over them because both their father and mother work, you see. I presume it was her sister who made the comment when showered with well wishes after the election by their classmates when they arrived late to school after a late election night,

"Well, THAT was embarrassing!" You gotta love that remark!

And as I said, it is John Edwards' birthday today.

We CAN learn from others' mistakes and we can learn that some of the simplest people are the best people.

Be very careful to look inside the person, behind the facade because that is where the real story of that person is . . .

Nothing Reminds Me Of Home Like Don Cherry

2008-12-15 Don Cherry, originally uploaded by thehour.

Now, generally, Don Cherry is wearing an outrageous jacket - really colorful, but I picked this picture because he is wearing a Canadian tie . . . or a tie with a Canadian motif.

Don Cherry at one time coached the Boston Bruins and has a wonderful program called Coache's Corner that is run when the hockey games are on Canadian Broadcasting Corporation TV. So, that is one thing I miss in Texas.

When I was a kid, Foster Hewitt used to commentate the games and he always opened with, "Good Evening Hockey Fans In Canada And The United States" on his own radio station, CKFH out of Toronto. After he died, his son, Bill continued the tradition.

Don Cherry, who at one time coached the Boston Bruins, started a program called Coach's Corner which was aired after games. He is known for his outspoken remarks and bright (well, okay . . . outrageous) outfits.

Don also has a string of restaurants where there is lots of sports memorabilia and good, hearty food. He also owned and showed Bull Terriers. (Yes, that would be his kind of dog.)

So, once in a long while we get to see Don Cherry but not very often. A wonderful fellow named Ron McLean plays straight man. (Somebody has to do it!)

Here's hoping we get to see this Canadian icon tonight when Vancouver Canucks play Boston Bruins in Vancouver. The time is 8:00 p.m. Eastern on either CBC or TSN in Canada and tonight it will be on NBC in United States. Next week, Versus Channel will also carry it. You might get some extra there tonight as well.

In case you ever wondered, Hockey is Canada's national WINTER sport. Lacrosse is the official summer sport ! Try that piece of trivia with your Molson Canadian which might have a label tonight that reads: Molson's Canuck. No, I am not kidding . . .

Feeling Happy Today . . . and Younger, Too!

That picture was taken at our 50th St.Clement's Reunion in 2009, which means all of us are about the same age. Most of my class lives in the Toronto area, but not all.

Yes, that's me on the left, with Andrea on the right.

Andrea has kept in touch over the years and now she e-mails. She spends some of the year in Toronto and some over in England. A few of my classmates are not married, including Andrea.

So, this morning, Andrea sent a message that she and Brian went out to buy the engagement ring after she accepted his proposal of marriage. The wedding will be in October in Toronto, with another ceremony in England.

Wow . . . wow . . . wow!

I had an aunt whose sister was married for the first time a little younger than Andrea and I are when I was in my teens. Mother and I went to visit her and she had a girdle stretched around the back of a kitchen chair. I wrote about that once before when I was in the widownet.org group, so some some people have heard about that before.

I don't think Andrea will be doing that because I do not recall her ever needing to lose weight. You can see that she dares to wear a cream colored wool suit.

She comes from a musical family and I can imagine she will come down the aisle to "Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring".

Well, after last year's five weddings . . . all brides in their 20s . . . and this years abundance of funerals, this news just makes me feel on top of the world today.

I am smiling so wide for you, Andrea! God Bless!