Extra Extra Read All About It

They say that when your given lemons the best thing to do is to make lemonade.  It seems that in the past while the lemons of life have been dropping from the proverbial lemon tree.. remember the song.. "Lemon tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet, but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat".  Come with me and take a walk on the complaining side. (Doesn't that sound like fun). It would seem that I've racked up a hefty amount on my charge card. It began at Christmas and then just snowballed. You know the drill. So, I've been looking for a job. I found a little one. I'm support worker to a handicapped woman who's now vacationing in the Dominican. (There's some irony there)  It's not all bad I've learned how to give a toilet a wonderful clean and how not to handle irreplaceable fridge magnets. I have been asked to clean windows if I have the time.. Fortunately I'm as slow as molasses so the windows aren't getting done. I pray continually to have the patience to listen to my client as she remembers with fondness and detail where each 100 precious moments figurines have come from while I dust.  (And you all thought I was a nice kind of person) keep reading.  My hubby knows a friend who has a sister who has a cousin that may be able to get me in Tim Horton's. Truth be known-st' I really don't want to serve coffee. I've been doing it for 30 years and don't think I can glean anything new from the experience. New Agers will tell you that all you have to do is to cast your thoughts out into the universe and through some strange law of attraction every good thing that you've wished for will come your way. The Bible say's that all good gifts are from God and that He will give us the desires of our hearts.. Right about now I'm thinking more on the verse "We'll reap what we sow". Who knew that I would be cleaning toilets in order to keep out of debtors prison. I can just see myself in an orange jumpsuit with a ball and chain around my ankle serving stale coffee to other inmates. I'm not having as much fun as I thought I would at my age. Instead of vacationing on exotic islands I'm picking up dog poopoo and chauffeuring young people.  I've thrown my wishes out there and the Universe hasn't been listening. Yesterday while driving to the Bay, my friend told me something dreadful. She calculated my age and said that I was really ( #*) I was shocked. An extra year was added to my life in a matter of moments. "Tempus Fugit"  when your having fun. NOT.. I suppose your wondering about the moral to this little blog. You know the one that ties neatly in with the heading.  This is what I've come up with. God doesn't molly coddle whiners or complainers. He cares, but he's always fair and just. I wish I didn't have to work. However, the lessons I've learned go so deep that all I can do is to thank Him. The show must go on and who knows what pleasantries and surprises wait for me.  Happy Trails to all of you my friends and may God serve you your fruit of choice and hopefully  it's not a lemon..

A Wrinkle In Time

When I was a girl I never gave the time of day to what it might be like growing older. Instead of watching time, it watched you , like a parent you were confident in it's clutches. If I only knew then what I know now, how would things be different? Perhaps if I saw my mom and dad as two struggling individuals who didn't really know what they were doing would I have resisted the urge to offer unsolicited advice. Would I have studied harder and married less :) The next thing you know your in your 20's having kids of your own and making more mistakes than your parents did. But there's still time to change and grow. Your face is radiant, your body strong and lean and you have energy to boot. The 30's and 40's are blurs. Your to busy watching your own children grow and become something and your still strong and not yet forgetting things. The only exception being the time you placed baby #5 in her seatie and forgot where you put her. :) Course I was in my 40's then. So fifty comes. If your a woman it's a time of great changes. People no longer call you Miss  but are now opening doors for you and calling you Mam. Your hair is grey and wrinkles are appearing. I once asked for some advice from a dear Shoppers Drug Mart  consultant. I was looking for Polyfiller. That's what I asked for.. He said "Mam, maybe you should embrace your wrinkles". It's only taken me 6 years to do so. It's a process you know.. Make up is amazing.. and hair dye.. But there comes a time when even the foundation isn't working and the dyed hair makes you look like a Bo Derek wanna be. I want to know if there's a manual out there that might help me to grow old gracefully. So far I've been fighting it tooth and nail. I'm trying to look at the positive. Take yesterday for instance. I asked a sales clerk if I qualified for the senior discount.. which I did. BONUS.. I don't have to waste 100's of dollars on anti aging serums that contain placenta/acai/jojoba/Q10 compounds. I can advice the youth and tell them stories of when I was a girl. I don't have to worry about men ogling me (not that is was much of a problem before) . I look forward to retirement and joining the Red Hat Club. Through out all I hope that I am reaching the mark. If I should live till I'm 90 it's not near the length of time that I will live in the glorious presence of my Heavenly Father. If I could change one thing, it would be to cease the striving. Perhaps the next 30 years might be spent resting in His love. After all He has never let me down. He was there when I fell off the swing, He was there when I screamed in the pain of my labors, He was there when a marriage failed and a new one began, He was there when I cried out to Jesus to be my Lord and Savior and He is with me always to the end of this great race. Adieu my friends and may every wrinkle you see on that face of yours remind you of years of growth and love.

Shark Attack

We just loved the movie "Soul Surfer". I suppose it's because it's based on a true story and the moral is uplifting about never giving up and being an over comer.. I had to get past a hurdle though. So God in his divine nature of love and justice designed this . Sometime ago before little Bethany was even born God planned for all of this to happen. Yes Bethany Hamilton, you would have this amazing life, living by the ocean with this super loving family,  until your 13th year. One day I will send a huge shark to bite off your arm. Two things that terrify me, amputation and sharks. It took me awhile to wrap this picture around my little brain. Obviously God had this wonderful plan for Bethany. His ways are not our ways.. Remember Jim Carrey in "God Almighty". He was given the powers of God and made quite a mess of things. God never makes a mess of anything.. Fast forward to 7 years ago.. All of a sudden a really bright and sweet child began blinking and making sounds. Her mind without warning would make her body do things and say things without any control. No movie is being made about this life. She just has to live it through. We can't wait to come out on the other side. Sometimes I need to see the answers to my questions like WHY LORD? Seems to me like we are swimming in shark infested waters daily.  Best to carry a phazer and own a life saving manual . I can hear the theme music from "Jaws" as I write.. Looking over my shoulder I'm assured that I'm safe. I don't want to lose my arm or any other body part for that matter.  Isn't it grand that the sharks of this world are still subject to that great Harbor Master. No limb was evcr severed except by God's devine plan.. His plan is always right and good. This morning it may be all I need to know to keep me going and going happily and securely.  Happy Trails until we meet again..

Resolutions and Restitutions

Welcome to 2012. It's either the end of the world or the beginning of something grand. I tend to want to believe the later, because I'm the eternal optimist. Usually I can get a feel as to how the year will go. We weren't able to see the year in with our faithful friends and their bonfire. If that's an indicator it may be the year of the lonely. Then again our 2nd son came home to live. This meant the building of a new room and most importantly the dismantling of a gigantic pool table. Said pool table has long been a sore spot with me on account of it's taking up half the downstairs. Hubby finally decided that son was more important than the table.. Prayers answered.. Great way to begin a new year. Tim Horton's didn't want me. I was given a very huge inferiority complex with their rejection. The Pollyanna in me however came to the conclusion that I was spared this menial labor and soon would be offered something more substantial. On New Years day I went to church. My resolution is to make a commitment to one church establishing with great hopefulness some new friendships. It was a great day. I loved the interactive Sunday School and the message on "Time". Then my #1 son and life partner came over for a homemade ham dinner.  A great time was had by all. The next day as I was talking to my sister  I realized that if you have 8 brothers and sisters that it might be impossible for complete peace and unity to exist. This was the theme of 2011.  I won't get into details but there are some relationships that 2012 needs to see improved. I believe that the year of the lonely might bring good fortune in this area. (Chinese year of reference). I have a friend who once penned the phrase.. "If it weren't for people this world might be a good place to live". People are an enigma to me. You can't live with them and living without them makes for a dull existence. I am basically a loner. I enjoy doing things by myself and as I get older I become more and more so. Which is why I am forcing myself to become involved at church. In this day and age when you can have complete relationships with your friends without leaving your desk it is now become a skill to master. The art of talking to someone face to face needs practicing. I'm glad for another year.. Bring it on . Adieu and may old acquaintances not be forgotten and remember old Lange Sein.. whoever he may be.. :)

Christmas In My Heart

Every Christmas is different from the last. Some are quiet and lean , some noisy and full. Last year was the one that will stand out in history at least in my history, as the one that will never be forgotten. To begin with our eldest daughter (the beautiful one) was coming home with her new man. His name is awesome. (inside joke) . This was cause for celebration enough. I had plenty of ideas for original gifts, I knitted everyone a handmade scarf. We had a little money saved up and I felt good about the spending. The recipes came easy. It was as if all the plans were blessed from the Heavenly's . The neighbors were friendly and kind. The snow had been falling and it covered the ground with a quaint Christmassy air.  The story gets better.. My 20 year old wanted a camcorder for Christmas. The one he wanted was pretty expensive. I knew that we didn't have the money for this but I also knew that I really wanted to get him one. All of my children are very special. Each one special in their own right. But this son is the one with the faith, he's the one who stands firm when others fail.  God loves each and every one of us, but he has his hands upon this one and He has great plans for him. Well, every day as I walked to my pond I would talk to the The Lord. I would ask him to bless my son with this CamCorder. Sometimes when I pray I just get this feeling that my prayer was answered. This was one of those times and I lived believing it. About this time the Christian Radio station had a contest. Send in a Christmas card and one would be randomly drawn on Christmas eve. First prize was a camcorder. We weren't certain what quality it was but I sent my card. The time came for the draw, up till now, my hubby had placed a gift of money under the tree all wrapped up. It was to go towards a camcorder in the new year when sales were on. Yet, deep inside my heart I knew that a miracle was about to take place. 3 oclock on the eve, clear as a bell our family name was announced. We had won.. Just like that.. I don't think I've ever yelled and cried and jumped so much in all my life. We scooted down to the station. I tried to convey to the folks working there the meaning of this gift and who my son was who was going to receive it. Maybe they understood a tiny bit. Not only that, but it was the exact one that son wanted. Christmas morning was a blast. We laughed at the Japanese flute, the lazer scissors, the lego (no one's a kid anymore) the coloring books, the funny hats and pez candy. Then Mike opened his gift. I cried , explaining it to him and how we came to be it's owner.  This gift was a miracle. It was given by the hands of God. Some say coincidence or ha perchance. Some say that the time of miracles and angels is over. I say that a loving God took delight in blessing a young fella and his mother. I stand in awe and marvel at his goodness. Whenever I've been tempted to be a gloomy gus this year the memory of that gift penetrates my heart and soul. Now, this Christmas is a little different. I feel it.. It's not as big or as white. It's keeping me humble. I am remembering the dear hand of my Heavenly Father whose gift of a camcorder was only a delightful sampling of His love and what He can bestow. After all He gave us the greatest gift that could ever be given, his son Jesus.. This Christmas believe for that miracle.  Hold on to that love that we so desperately need and desire. "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night" :)

Real Men Eat Moose

My hubby, God bless his tummy, has just consumed three moose steaks. They were marinated first, only because I can't stand the smell of moose cooking on the stove. It smells like a combination of swamp grass, leeches and rotting cow.. "Get the picture". Hubby on the other hand is drawn to it like a cat to catnip. He gets his moose from a co-worker. As a family we are amazing barters. Computer work for moose, sounds like a fair trade to me. How about jewelry for services rendered, or chocolate. That never happens. Let's take a minute and examine this wild animal. It resembles a deer on steroids. It has a rack of antlers that not unlike our Christmas Tree is adorned with hanging green lichen smeared with vermin and parasites of every kind. They live in swamps and are constantly using the forest as a scratching post. In Newfoundland they are having quite the problem with these guys. 145 thousand of them roam free and last year alone caused 869 accidents on the highway with some fatalities. So the government is giving away 33 thousand licenses to kill.  I realize that the moose is as part of our Canadian culture as say maple syrup or the Toronto Maple Leafs. Up in our neck of the woods plenty of hunters still exist. They prepare all year for "Hunting Season". Spending hundreds of dollars. Remember Elmer Fudd? Camps are booked, ATV's oiled and lubed..  I won't even mention the cases of beer and recreational beverages that go along with this journey. Dressed out in their best camo. they grab their rifles and pretend their soldiers stealth fully hunting down the enemy (whose not very bright by the way). When I was first married, as part of my initiation into the right of being married to a true northerner we went a hunting for partridge. It was a rainy day and cold but I was warm in my youth and innocence.. .. There they came, an entire partridge family.. Keith, Danny, Laurie, Chris and Tracy. In shock I ran after them.. "Save yourselves,, run run" I yelled. Hubby never took me out hunting with him ever again. Every year the city puts on a wild game smorgasbord. Skunk fritters, breaded ermine, deep fried weasel,(which tastes an awful lot like chicken by the way) and chocolate covered fox tales.. The door prize is usually a Davy Crocket coon hat, or a lucky rabbit's foot. It seems that being part of the 21'st century eludes us at times.. Perhaps it's just that gene recessed from centuries past. You know the one that's dressed in plaid. Perhaps at one time we were all hunter gatherers. That hunting instinct is still strong. It's changed format a little. My brothers all had guns and target practice was a favorite game. My sons on the other hand are into virtual killings.. Duck Hunt allowed them to use a real gun. Then paint ball with MARKERS.. "Whose kidding Who".  We were smart parents. We let them play there video games, but had them turn off the sound and the blood. Tonight I'm cooking hamburgers. They came from a hormone injected cow. The smell is much more pleasant and sanitary though. I suppose the moral of this story is you can take the woods out of your husband, but you can't take your husband out of the woods. Or you can't have your bullwinkle and eat him too. Adieu my friends until the next time. ♥

Forever Young

So, on Friday I gave my bro his yearly birthday call. I miss him (but that's another story).  My first mistake was asking him how old he was. You would think that I could remember this important piece of info considering he's one year younger than I. You see, when I turned 52 I stopped counting. At first it was kind of funny but then like every lie, over time you begin believing it. When I found out the truth I was in shock. It couldn't be. Where has the time gone?, One day I was "Little Suzy" and the next "Gramma Moses". I'm not complaining, I've earned these wrinkles. The One on the left side of my cheek is from all those years I was homeschooling . The one on the right from staying up all night with sick kids. I'm certain that the crows feet are from years of financial wows. Many years ago the elderly called Pneumonia "the old folk's friend". Back then if you were 70 you were considered over the hill. My mom is now 86 and my husband's dad just had a quadruple by pass. He is also in his 80's. Why, I saw a pic of Tina Louise the other day. Remember her of Gilligan's island fame, and she must be in her 80's. She looked terrific. Albeit she"s  had a zillion plastic surgery's. In my room in the privacy of my space I am learning how to  "Shuffle". I am wanting to volunteer at the home for the aged, to play the piano, to take singing lessons. Life for me has just begun. The thing is I am soooo grateful for each new day. Each morning when I wake up I say  "today,  I will make a difference". I will tell my family and friends how much I love them. I'll bake one more pie and one more meatloaf.  Age, my friend is only a number. It's a marvelous thing that I'm not good in Math. For now, I like the sound of 52. It also helps to have a daughter who listens to "Demi Lovato" and teaches you all the latest trends and styles. Or to have a son or two who keep you updated on the newest technology. One night I went to bed a little worried about the prospect of Alzheimer's. Good job that when I woke up I had forgotten all about it. :)  The good thing is that my hubby and I both have reached that age together. You know, that season when you've  forgotten why you've argued and who cares anyway. The time when coffee at Timmy's or at home is the biggest decision of the day. When you finish each other's sentences , not because your in sync but because you actually can't remember what you were saying. Now, you both have to wear glasses. So for some strange reason you look like your photographed through gauze and your hubby is the most handsomest man on this planet. You know the old saying that "Life is to short". I think life is just long enough. If we do the best and say the best and be the best we know how to be, then in the end life is just long enough.   Well, I'm off to dance and laugh and sing.. Adieu to you and may you too be Forever Young.