Mission Accomplished

It took two days but our mission to help a friend was very successful.  We just had enough money to pay for all the expenses,  and two great fellows to do the heavy lifting.

Naturally, I did what I could.

We celebrated with a Family lunch from Swiss Chalet.  I took some pictures at this time.

Hadi (tourquoise sweater) Hosea, coloured shirt, Wes green shirt.

Joan came to help from Wes's old building.

Wes, our friend whom we moved.

Me, putting out the goodies.

 It was a pretty tough two days I must say but Wes is in a better building now and will be much better able to cope with the accessibility that is there.  Thanks to Mayor Ford's intervention, Paula in Housing, Frank the Manager at his old building and all the donations which people so generously gave, a very happy outcome has happened.

He will spend New Year's in a new place where he has space, is able to get around better and he knows some nice people as well.

God is so gracious and so good.  He paved the way and even when it looked like we would have to continue working all night, He opened the door to keep the truck so we could rest and finish off the job the next day.  There was no $475 ticket on the rental truck as no police ticket people came around and the superintendent and the key man were super to all of us.  They could not have been nicer.

I am well pleased and thankful to God for this successful move.

First part of the move

A view of the bedroom

Part of the sitting room

Yesterday was a day which started out fine.  The weather was cold but not unbearable.Hosea and Hadi picked me up at 7:45 and the traffic going to Toronto was very light.  I think many people have taken the week off from work between Christmas and New Years.

We made it into Toronto for the 9 a.m. pickup of the U-haul.  It was a fair size truck and should have been large enough for a bachelor flat, but we could not get everything into it..  We all started off with energy but by the time 8:30 p.m. arrived, we were exhausted. Most everything from the bachelor flat fit into the truck but there is still things back in the old flat which Wesley will have to do himself.  Mind you, he can do it sitting in his wheelchair.

The new place was a bit of a distance, down Sheppard and we were not sure if it was the right place as there was no visible sign of the number of the building.From the outside, it looked very nice and it turned out to be the correct building.  The lobby area was clean and neat as well.

Apparently the Manager had not told the Superintendent that Wes was coming yesterday so they were not prepared with the lift on hold or a place for us to bring in his things in.  We had to go through the front door holding it open each time.  It was a real drag.  None of the people sitting around in the front lobby offered to give a hand even by holding the door.

Wes could not come in the truck and the car so he had to drive his scooter along with his frozen foods all the way to the new place.  There was not an inch left in the truck for anything more.

We had put his frozen food into a shopping cart and tied it to his scooter but he still had to hang onto the handle so it would not tip.  His hands were frozen by the time he got there which is not a good thing as the doctor warned him about getting cold on his hands due to the real danger of more amputations.

We had the cat in the car and the turtles in the truck so they had to be removed first for their health's sake.

We were all so exhausted that we could not carry on.  We tried to make an arrangement to keep the truck overnight but it was already rented out for 8:30 the next morning.  I got on the phone with the lady and explained that we had come all the way from Hamilton to help a disabled man move and we were just exhausted and could not carry on.  She called me back (thankfully I have a cell phone) and at first said no, the new people needed that truck.  Then she said she would talk to somebody else and this kind person agreed to take a larger truck for their move in the morning just to help out.  That was extraordinarily kind of them. The young lady also went above and beyond her duty.  May God bless both of them.

We then spoke to the Key Man and asked where we could park it overnight.  We had to take a risk.  The gentleman thought that it would be safe enough on one section of the road  and Hosea parked it there.  He said if we parked it somewhere else on the property, it would get a $495 ticket which is something we cannot afford. The money I raised is almost gone now.


While the fellows were getting some of the necessities for Wes that he needed just to function overnight, I hung up some of his clothing and made his bed (just the mattress, the frame was impossible to get to) so all he had to do was to fix the turtle tank and make sure the cat was okay and he could sleep.

I took some shots of the new place.  Obviously, it hasn't got much in it right now as we could only bring up a few necessities.

Left is the stove.  Wheelchair height.  Right is the oven - again wheelchair accessible.

Kitchen sink - wheelchair height

A cupboard for his kitchen things.  Also overhead cupboards but don't know how people in wheelchairs could reach them.

The Amazing shower stall - a wheelchair can roll right in or a bath chair can be left in there.

A nice low tub with lots of safety bars

I have to say, I was very taken with the bathroom.  He could wheel into it with his wheelchair without problem.  It will be so much safer now for him.

The sitting room - one part of it.  There is space for a nice dining room table with four chairs 

I think this will be where the dining room table will go.

It is a much better building from what I could see.  The key man told me that they have BBQ, Christmas Parties and other special things during the year.  It is also a much quieter area with lovely houses around the building.  With his scooter, he can go miles.

We have to go back to Toronto today to finish off the job.  It will be at least another five hour's worth of heavy lifting.

Hosea and Hadi were a great team.  Hosea is from Zimbabwe and Hadi is from Singaphore.  In spite of all their heavy work, they laughed and joked and were in a good mood all the day. Even in the car going back home to Hamilton, they were laughing and joking.  I could not have chosen better people to lend a hand in this situation.

It will be good when we all can rest but that won't be until tonight when we come back to Hamilton.

Thanks for dropping by the blog and have a good day!

What if you lost your leg?

What if you lost your leg?: I am advocating on behalf of a disabled man who has lost the lower half of his leg to that terrible disease - diabetes. He has had several operations, first to take his toes off, and recently to take his foot and leg just below the knee. It is not healing at all. This 55 year old man is trying to survive on a disability pension which is very small ($800 a month). He is currently living in an extremely small bachelor flat and has lived there for ten years. Imagine a small size supply room in an office and you've got the picture. In order to get around in his apartment, he uses crutches with great difficulty. He has fallen twice on his amputated stump due to lack of space in his flat. His new apartment will be a one bedroom, accessible apartment, and much safer for him.

Where he lives right now, there are drug dealers, prostitutes and alcoholics. He is afraid to associate with anybody in there as he is extremely vulnerable.

He survives on donations from food banks.

He has worked hard all his life, contributing to society but due to an accident where he sustained a serious injury,(broken back) he could not continue to work.My appeal is for some money to help him move into a one bedroom disabled apartment once it becomes available. Toronto Housing has him on their top priority list. I am looking to raise at least $800.00, as it is expensive to move and he'll need various items for his new apartment.Can you help?

AN UPDATE:

DECEMBER 27TH, 2011. Tomorrow we move this disabled person into a one bedroom accessible apartment. Thanks for all the help from Engiver.com., my friends and relatives and the generosity of strangers.  I will try and take some pictures of the new place.

I will keep you posted on the move - tomorrow is supposed to be freezing rain and we have an hour's drive on the highway to get to Toronto where he lives.

The big day tomorrow - moving day

The weatherman is calling for fast freeze tomorrow so that is not a good thing for a move, especially since we are coming from another city to help this gentleman move.

Ah well, we will just have to proceed cautiously.

Today I went to a Walk-in-clinic to speak to the doctor about the horrible rash on me.  He has prescribed two powerful meds to put on so hopefully that will do the trick.  He says if it doesn't help, he will send me to a skin specialist.

I really liked this older doctor, he seemed like sthe old fashioned doctor who cares about his patients.  I hope I would get him again if I need to go back.

For those who read this blog outside of Ontario, a Walk-in-Clinic is a place staffed with medical doctors and the patient can walk in and see a doctor without an appointment. All you need is a valid health card.  These clinics are relatively new.  So many people don't have a regular family doctor.This is helping look after those people rather than them having to go to Emergency and tie the place up for minor things..

This is my second visit to one, the first was in June after my fall and I could not get to see my family doctor for several weeks so I went there, the second was today and I had tried to get my doctor but to no avail.  It is holiday time in Canada right now.

I do have an interesting experience to relate.  Nothing to do with the medical clinic.  I needed to go to the bank to take out some money for the trip tomorrow and the banks are closed today still so I went to the banking machine at King and James.  The door was unlocked and I saw an old fellow sitting on the stoop inside singing his heart out.  It was obvious that he had had too much to drink but he was not a mean drunk so I was not worried.  I did my business that I needed to do while he continued to sing and then I said goodbye and wishes him a good day.

It was a risk to take, but I needed to get cash for the trip. I figured he was so mellow that he wouldn't move and that is exactly what happened.

I bet he is still singing his little heart out, not feeling any pain.  He must be lonely poor soul.  Some men have nobody who cares what happen to them.  A woman alone is much better at coping I have found.  She has her friends, her hobbies and her housekeeping.

I was thinking that if CIBC knew that the door was unlocked, they would not care for that as it would scare most customers away seeing a drunk person inside. I tried to contact them to let them know that the door was unlocked but was unable to get anybody.

Life's little surprises, once again.

Have a great day and thanks for dropping by.

A wonderful, unexpected invitation for Christmas afternoon

What a lovely surprise I had today when Kathy invited me over Facebook to come to their place for the afternoon.  I was very touched.  She came and picked me up  and we had a delightful afternoon together.  It was so nice to be invited.

Chris's mother Irmgard also came a little later on and I enjoyed meeting her.  She is a lovely lady.

It was great to be around children at Christmas again.  It has been so many years since I have had that pleasure

Needless to say, I took pictures and here they are:

Cassie and Daddy Chris

Grandmother Irmgard and family

a nice family shot

Another shot

Thanks to their invitation, I had a lovely afternoon.  I enjoyed myself very much.

My friend will not be able to come tomorrow as she has a bad cold so it is doubly special that I had such a nice visit today.

TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS

Alas for those who think of lightly falling snow, slowly covering the grey pavement of city streets in this Christmas Season in Canada.  They will be very disappointed this year, according to what I have heard on the T.V. and the radio.

However, is that what Christmas is all about?  It is just an added touch to the magic of the season.  Christmas is about God's gift to human kind, Jesus the Messiah, coming as a baby, born by a natural method but not conceived in the normal way.

Christmas is also about  people giving to those less fortunate than them, sharing meals with family and friends and  going to special services in the church.

There is another side of this season which few people want to talk about.  Depression and being alone at Christmas.

All the hype about presents, good times and happy families make those who are alone think that they are missing out on something and some people become suicidal.

It may feel like they are on the outside looking in.  They may feel alienated from their fellow humans.  Family strife may be accented and old arguments may be revived.Not all people on this earth have harmonious family relationships.

 It is perhaps one of the most stressful times in the year for those who have little and cannot buy presents for those whom they love, or for those widowed, single again or totally alone.

Shall we not think of the true meaning of this season?  For after all, that is what it is all about!

The start of a new business for my friends Carmen and Wally

I was invited to attend a get together at their place today in Oakville.  Nina, Wally's Mom, picked me up.

It was a well organized event and I met some lovely people.  Carmen and Wally's new business is at this website:

http://carfih.acndirect.com/default.asp

Carmen had outdone herself with lovely nibbles and Nina made some fantastic meatballs.

We saw a presentation on the company and heard all about the many benefits of getting involved with ACN.

Here are some photos I took.

The hostess with the mostest!

A wall decoration Carmen made

Their team for ACN

Jane  - ACN

Check it out and see what value can be yours if you are interested.  They have phone service, wireless, satellite TV, Home Security and Automation and ACN Premium Technical Support among other things.


It was a very interesting presentation among pleasant people.  Carmen now has a store which you can access through the webpage above.  Donald Trump has endorsed this company.  One of the nice things about this company is that it is world wide.

I saw the telephone with the screen where you can talk to somebody face to face, and if I am remembering correctly, you can pay a very small amount and they will send the same type of phone to a family member that you wish to talk to face to face.

I found that fascinating myself. It seems similar to Skype but I was told it was a better quality than Skype.  It would have been nice to have seen that phone in action.  That did interest me. I talk to both my children and son-in-law through Skype.  Most of the time, it is just fine.

One thing I noticed though, is that the prices are much more reasonable than the large companies.

If you are interested, please check out Carmen and Wally's store and ask them whatever questions you may have about their products.

Thanks for dropping by and have a good day.

An update on Wes

My heart is singing with joy and relief.  The news I heard was good.  It was my friend Wes's voice on my voice mail telling me that he now has the keys for his new one bedroom apartment. He will sign the lease shortly.

I cannot thank God enough, Mayor Ford of Toronto (Emily his Admin. Assistant)  and all those donors who contributed to help this disabled man.

Without this assistance, this dear fellow would be stuck in his small cramped bachelor flat in a building where he is very vulnerable.

His new building will be safer and he will have more space.  He knows one lady there already and this is a big plus as he may need further amputations in the future.  He is doing everything to help himself, including packing ever so slowly sitting in his wheelchair.  My hat is off to him!

Now the hard part starts.  Moving day will be Dec. 28th.  The two (hopefully 3) gentlemen who will be assisting me in this move, will pick me up and we will go into Toronto by car to pick up the reserved truck.

God bless those men, I cannot do it by myself and I appreciate them so much.

I have kept a careful tab of all donations given by people and when the move is over, I will send thank you notes.

These people have given hope to a man with serious health issues who is all alone in this world.

I have always known that no action that helps another soul, goes unrewarded by God and these people will be blessed in so many ways, but particularly by spiritual growth.

What a joyous day it has turned out to be in spite of the drizzle, wind gusts, and gloom.

Thanks for dropping by and come again when you have the time.  Have a great day!










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A nice evening with Jody

Jody picked me up after school and we made her way through all the traffic to Westdale.  I love the way she has decorated her house - very tasteful and quite elegant.

She has her Christmas tree up and other lovely Christmas things in the sitting room area.

We had a tasty dinner together which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Jody and Ava

Jody near her very cute tree

This looks so friendly  to me.

Candle decoration on the dining room table.

Ava on her special blanket on the sofa

I tried to catch the reflection of Jody's tree in her living room windows.

Her house looks great, all finished on the first floor and quite a bit done in the basement. It has been a long haul for her but now it is looking like a real home.

It just shows that with will power, people who know how to renovate, miracles can happen.  What a difference from my first visit there in June!

Well done Jody!

Thanks for reading my blog.  Drop by  another time if you have the time.

Christmas Decorations at Jackson's Square

I went over to Jackson's Square today to get some card stock as well as some bright cherry red paper.

Japan camera had tested my camera for me over night and it is fine.  It must have been a fluke those two messages.

They showed me that it was working fine by taking a picture of me.  Obviously it is working great.

Since I had my camera on me, I went around to some of the displays in Jackson's Squares and took some shots.

A very friendly and jovial St. Nicholas

A side view - there was a young person there taking photos  of Santa for sale

The other side of the same picture

This is through a glass window

Other side of the window above. It did not turn out so well.

Good old St. Nicholas was having a ball talking to people as he pranced around the mall after closing his gate.  I enjoyed just watching him interact with the children plus people just sitting around on the benches.  He brought some smiles to faces which was nice.

Tonight, I have an invitation to a friend's house for supper which I am looking forward to.

Have a great day.

St. John's Ladies Group Christmas celebration

It was a mild day today and many ladies turned out for this event.  I took some shots and downloaded them before I took my camera in to be checked at Japan Camera.

My battery keeps telling me it is exhausted and it is less than a year old.  It is a Nikon and should be just fine.

Happily for me, my camera still took some nice shots.  Here are a few.

An impromptu ladies choir

The little tree in the church hall with some foodstuffs to share with those less fortunate

To me, this is very elegant

Our pianist Jayne is game for any kind of music - she is amazing

The groaning board getting slowly ready for the coffee time

It was a lovely programme.  I was asked to open with prayer and also asked to do several other things during the programme.  This is a church which loves rhyming poetry so I had one rhyming one for Christmas which the coordinator asked me to read but she forgot about it.  I had a good laugh about it.  The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray!

All in all, a great event.  After I got home, I decided to go to the mall and do a little shopping.  It is getting quite crowded.

There seems to be lots of sales going on and people seem to be buying.

Thanks for dropping by.

The Hamilton Club luncheon

I enjoyed my time at the Hamilton Club where I went to lunch with my friend Rosemary.  It is very close to home which is a big bonus, especially in the winter when the wind howls and the snow blows.

We went in by the wheelchair entrance which is on James South.

We had a delightful meal and an enjoyable chat.  As they are now decorated for Christmas, I took a few shots which I will post here.

My friend Rosemary in front of the Christmas tree 

I liked how they decorated the fireplace

The wait staff were excellent and friendly.  The meal tastefully arranged and delicious, with good sized portions.  I could not finish mine so brought half of it home.

I find it a nice place to go, elegant enough to suit me with a welcoming feel to it.

After that, I went to the library and enjoyed my time there. I cannot seem to leave the library without borrowing more books!

I love to read and I enjoy seeing other authors styles.

Tomorrow will be a busy day for me so will rest tonight and just watch television.

All in all, a wonderful day.

Thanks for dropping by and come again, if you wish.

Our Building's Christmas Party

It was a lovely party this year.  I missed some folks as I was running late today in every way!  However, there were still quite a few people there when I arrived and had a lovely time chatting with some people that I know, and getting to know new people.  I think it is a golden opportunity to meet fellow residents.

As usual, it was well organized with tasty thing to nibble on.  Very enjoyable time and I shall look forward to next's year annual Christmas party.

Below you will see two shots of the same tree.  It is in the corner of the party room and looks beautiful.

Thanks for dropping by and come again if you have the time.

A shot of the lovely tree

Tower Poetry Society Christmas Party 2011s

It was a cold and crisp day, no snow in the forecast when I stepped outside my door to wait for my friend Jeff to pick me up in his car.  As I walked over to our pick up spot where it is safe to wait for a few minutes, I saw four pigeons and one sparrow pecking at some bread on the road. They were good candidates for speeding cars to knock them off their perch permanently!

I saw one young man get out of his car, and shoo them away but as soon as he drove off, they went back to the spot and began pecking at the food again.  I saw that the traffic light was red so I tried to scare them away from the spot, but alas they went back again.  I tried to loosen the food from the ground with my cane but it was frozen right into the pavement.

It reminds me of children who are warned many times of danger by their parents, but instead of heeding, they go back and do the same dangerous things.  It seems that the birds may have the same problem as humans!

We drove out to Stoney Creek which is part of Hamilton but very far away from downtown!  Our hosts have a lovely house right on the water and I took quite a few water shots.

Jeff knows I love to being by the water and so we went right to a lovely spot where we could park and take some shots.

Lake Ontario - Lower Stoney Creek

Another shot of the same area where we stopped

It definitely was not the day to linger too long at the waterfront, as it was very nippy down there.  I did enjoy it very much though and appreciated that he stopped and showed me the area.

There are so many beauty spots in Hamilton that I have not seen yet and will look forward to visiting one day.

We arrived at our hosts and I had brought almond cookies (home made) and everybody seemed to take one so I assume they were okay.

We had some poetry reading and I read my poem about Gore Park and the Christmas excitement there.

Others also shared their work which I enjoyed.  There was no critiquing as it was a party so it was a very relaxed event.

I enjoyed a delicious cup of hot cider when we first arrived and it just helped so much to warm me up.

A scene from their back yard - Lake Ontario

The centerpiece of our hosts table

I love this wonderful candle with the handcrafted wreath created by our hostess Valerie

It was a wonderful afternoon spent with compatible people, relaxing with lots of chuckles and merriment.  Norm took a group picture which I hope to get a copy of eventually.  He has a really fancy camera so it will be a lovely shot.  Several of our members were missing due to other commitments.

Our next big event will be the launch of the next Anthology in January which will be in Carnegie Gallery in Dundas, Ontario.

Thanks to our gracious hosts who provided our venue for this year's party.  It was a wonderful party.

Thanks for dropping in at my blog and come back another time if you would like.

TRIP TO KITCHENER, ONTARIO

Yesterday was very cold but clear and I went to see Anna and Bill in Kitchener.   The ride up there was wonderful, I haven't been there for a few months and as always, enjoy going through the countryside.

I really love the route from Hamilton to Kitchener as it meanders through little country towns.  I see the occasional cow or horse, lots of lovely farmland and patches of forest where the sun does not seem to shine.  With my great imagination, I visualize walking in those patches of forest, communing with the animals who reside there, and just enjoying the feeling of oneness with God's creation.

I feel so "at home" when I walk in nature.  Even though, this time, it was an imaginary walk, I still enjoyed it!

It was a very smooth ride to Kitchener and we made terrific time.  The bus was not even a quarter filled and I would imagine that the company lost money on that trip.  I always take the 10:30 bus as it takes an hour and a half to get there.

Bill met me at the Kitchener station and we had to wait for the next No. 15 bus to go up to their new area.  That bus only runs every half hour.

When we arrived home, they opened their Christmas presents  that I brought for them and seemed to like them.  I was glad as I tried to pick thing which are practical and yet pretty.

Bill took me back to the bus station and waited with me until the Hamilton bound bus came in.  He was able to get his own bus back at 4:30 which worked out very well for everybody.  The bus home was a much longer ride as the traffic was quite heavy.  It was dark by that time so saw many Christmas lights on the houses.  I really like the animals that are lit up.  They seem to be made with some type of wire and I think they are very elegant.  Gore Park has some as well.  The ride home was smooth and very soothing as it was dark out and the lights in the bus were turned down.

All in all, a nice visit.   I'll go up again once the warmer weather comes back.

Thanks for dropping by.

A FANTASTIC SUNDAY

Today could not have been nicer for me.  In spite of the rain this afternoon, my spirit is bubbling over with joy.  It is such a wonderful feeling.

My temperament is normally very even keeled, but today was such a joyous day for me that I feel like I am floating on a cloud. I spent about an hour and a half with a dear little girl who is disabled and we read together.  We had fun and she wants to do it again. That shows me that she enjoyed herself and felt comfortable with me.I will make the time to try to spend time with her once a month. I have done reading  with the children at the Hamilton Public Library for several summers and enjoyed it as well.

If I had the time, I would volunteer to read with grade school children here in Hamilton.  It was all set up for me to begin in North York when I had a health setback and I moved to Hamilton to be.near my son.  I even had a little Spanish speaking girl assigned to me.  I would have gone into the school and the child and I would have had time together, one on one, learning to read.

Working with children has always been a joy to me.  I spent 5 years working in the LINC programme
for the Toronto District School.  I loved being with children and it was a special joy for me when they
understood an idea.  It was as if a light switch would go on.  Imagine yourself in a foreign country, not speaking the language and being with children who all spoke different languages.  Many would look very  different from what you were accustomed to. It was so wonderful to see these little ones adapt so well to each other, play together and communicate in so many different ways.  One thing I really miss is the hugs I used to get from the children!

For  those unfamiliar with LINC, it is a free service for newcomers which help them adapt to a new way of life here in Canada as well as teaches them English.  It really is a help to people coming here.  Fifty years ago, when my friend came from Denmark there was no such help and they spoke only Danish at that time.  It was a real struggle for them.  However, they persevered and did very well in Canada.

After our reading time together, her parents came back and we all went to Gore Park together to see the Christmas decorations, the train and the merry go round.  They participated in the reading session for a little while and we all had a good time together.  I was very proud of my little pupil.  She did very well.

Cassie on the merry go round with her big sister Julia

It was great fun for me to see the children enjoying themselves so much.  I took quite a few shots but have only a few on this blog.

The three teenagers squeezed into the caboose.

Mommy having a great time herself!  (Kathy)

 Kathy's husband Chris is a real gem.  Quiet but so steady and kind.  What a blessing that they have found each other. I really respect and appreciate how good he is with his wife and children.

After our fun time at Gore Park, they left to go home and I came back home to do some washing  and make something to eat before going out again tonight.

This could not have been a nicer day for me.

The Manger Scene at Gore Park

Me, dressed for outdoors with our building Christmas tree.

Thanks for dropping by and come back again when you have the time please.

Cassie.