Monday's BBQ

My son invited me to his place for a backyard BBQ which I throughly enjoyed.  Since the bus only runs every half hour up until 6 p.m. I took the 5:01 bus and arrived there twenty minutes later.  I really enjoy going through the back streets on Aberdeen and think it would be a pleasant place to live as it is much quieter than downtown!  I love Westdale myself or Dundas but for me, perhaps downtown is still best as I can get around much easier that way.

The Chef (no white hat nor jacket, joke, joke)  made steak and hamburgers.  He had even purchased a lovely fruit and cream torte for the birthday celebration of both of us.

For years I didn't have a birthday celebration when he was young, but now we both can celebrate together which is wonderful.  I always used to have birthday parties for the children and invite their friends.  It was part of the rite of childhood.

A wonderful, peaceful  late afternoon and evening.  We had a very stimulating and interesting conversation which I throughly enjoyed.

Thanks for dropping by.  One more celebration to go with Mohammad but I think I would prefer to wait for that dinner out as I am partied out by now!

Ken, the chef for this night

Steak anybody?

This shot reminds me of my home town - clothing drying on the lines

Westdale is so quiet and peaceful when the students are out of town!

Sunday's celebration

My friend Rosel picked me up and we went down to Bayfront Park to enjoy a time by the waterfront.

She wanted to eat at her regular time of 1 p.m. so that was fine by me.  She brought a lovely book of her trip and the sights she saw when in Utah.

It was an enjoyable time by the water.  She had invited me to the Black Forest Inn near Ferguson which I always enjoy.  The food is reasonably priced and they give very large portions.

We had a lovely waitress and as it was my birthday celebration, my cake was free of charge as well they put a lit candle on it.  I think Rosie was not comfortable with them singing Happy Birthday, or at least that is how I interpreted her remarks, so I went along with no singing. I try to accommodate other people and their feelings as much as I can. 

We went home after our lovely dinner and then I brought Miss Allie Cat down to her owner.  She had lived with me for 3 months.  I wrapped her in a pillowcase and snuggled her up against my chest so that she would not be too afraid in the elevator. 

She is adapting again to her own apartment and my two cats seem quite happy as well.  No more fighting!

Tonight is the final celebration for my birthday and it is a BBQ with my son.  I am looking forward to that as I love BBQ's and, of course, I love to visit with my son. 


Thanks for dropping by.

Celebrations continue!

My friend Stella picked me up and we went to Burlington for a change.  We had a lovely Swiss Chalet dinner and then we went shopping (mostly window shopping).

We had a great time and the conversation flowed well.  After shopping for awhile, we went to a bakery cafe and really enjoyed that as well.  We both had a smoothie which is something I really like and is very filling.


We then went shopping again and looked at Best Buy but neither of us needed anything so we only stayed for a little while. She brought me home around 4 p.m.  as both of us were getting tired by then.

It was very enjoyable. For some reason, I forgot my camera which is so unlike me!

Have a great day and thanks for dropping by.

Birthday celebrations

I feel so spoiled and I love it!  Today my son and I went out for lunch at Toby's as he loves their beef burger smothered in sauce and had a lovely visit.  I then went over to the club to read the paper as I do several times a week and the dear staff sang happy birthday to me and with my coffee, they cut some carrot cake and put a birthday candle and a sparkler on it.  I was really touched by this gesture.

For the next three days, I have dinner invitations which will continue my celebration of living to age 70 and loving life! I thank God for giving me this time and thank Him for all my dear friends and family. I am so greatful for every blessing I have and also for having gone through very hard times, so that I will appreciate the good times.  I can say that even in the toughest time, I felt the presence of God.

What more could anybody wish for?

Thanks for dropping by and come again some time when you are able.

Creativity any one?

I had a beautiful little hand embroidered bag which I purchased from the ladies in the Gaza Strip about 20 years ago.

I have cherished this bag all these years and was so sad to see the frayed cord.

As a very creative person, I decided to make a new strap for it.  I used matching waxed cord and tourquoise and crystal beads to make the strap. It should last another twenty years.

The churches have a shop for them to sell their work. I bought some lovely hand done work. This wonderful little bag has a zipper and a pouch in it.  It will be perfect as an evening bag once again. 

When I was there, the Gaza strip was off limits to visitors.  I met many Palestinians and some wonderful Jewish school children who greeted me while I was walking in a park.

Also, over looking the city, I met this lovely young lady with a cute little dog who became an instant friend.  It is always the people that interest me the most, historical sites are very interesting as well, but it is people who are the most important to me.

WHAT NOT TO DO DURING TARAWEEH

New digital thermostat

I am so thankful to say that I now have a new digital thermostat and the gentleman who came fixed it so everything is automatic and I will not need to touch it.

Thanks to our wonderful  assistant superintendent who called them in right away.

It is gradually cooling down for which I am most happy.  I am not good in the heat at all.

Air Conditioning not working

There is something definitely wrong with the thermostat.  It seems only the fan part is working.  The temperature in here is 80F and I have had the A.C. on all night.

I think that I may need to have a new thermostat.  This one is probably about 20 years old if not more.

Not only is it costing me money to run the thing, but it does not work properly!

Not a win-win situation here.

Thanks for listening to my rant.  The weather is just too hot for words for this part of the world.

Sad news

My friend in the building died today at 1:30 a.m. A celebration of life will be held at some point in time.  Her daughter will call me to let me know.

Even if it is held in Toronto, I am sure that some of us would like to go.  Angela was a fighter and she fought until the end but lost her battle with pancraetic cancer.

This notification was the second death today. 

As you can imagine, I am feeling very sad right now.  We had become friends over the nine years I lived here.  This is the second death of a friend here in this building in nine years.

The sad thing is that she was not yet 65 and had always to struggle to make ends meet.  Her daughter is a gem and is arranging everything right now.

She will let me know.

Thanks for reading this sad note.  Remember that none of us knows when our time will come and live each day as if it is your last.  Tell your loved ones and dear friends that you care for them.

Exciting trip to the supermarket

You may ask, what is so exciting about going to the supermarket?  It is when you have a gift card for $25 from a survey which you filled out.

It is a chance to buy something you would not normally buy and to have the anticipation of checking out what is new in the grocery store.  I haven't been to Fortinos on Dundurn for many years.  It was like letting a child loose in a candy store!  Oh what fun I had driving the buggy up and down the isles and checking out to see all the new things which were on offer.  It was so tempting to buy more than the card was worth and I did, I must confess.  I spent $6.00 over the card but don't mind, as I had fun just looking around.

The hard part was the intense heat after leaving the store and taking the Main Street bus.  It was crowded with students.  One dear girl got up and let me sit down.  It is good to see that manners are not altogether dead in Canada!

I had my little buggy with me which helped as well so I did not have to carry anything.  I am glad, though, that I do not go grocery shopping in stores very often.

I mostly shop at Denningers and at the Farmer's Market so it was a real treat to be in another grocery store.

Thanks for dropping by.  Big thunder storm coming so had better got off the computer.

A lovely time at the Shia Mosque

I was very fortunate to get a ride up to Limeridge Mall.  I looked around for a dress but alas I have not found what I was looking for. I have been looking for about a year.

I had plenty of time to wait for Sarah and then we took a taxi to the Mosque for the ladies party.

I recognized many familiar faces and some of them remembered me from last year which was very nice.

They were very welcoming.  It is mostly a mosque with Lebanese people and when the ladies dance, I love to see that.  I love the music, the joy and the liveliness.  There was one particular dance which seems to be a national dance.  There was a certain pattern to it and one would need to be very able bodied to do that dance!

As is usual, there were lots of little ones around and I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with them.

Once in the privacy of the mosque, headscarves (hijabs) and abeyas (long type of coat which covers the body for modesty) came off.  Suffice it to say, there were many different dresses and attire.

Of course, this was a women only party so obviously no man would be allowed which was really nice as the women let their hair down,danced and chatted and ate to their fill.  There were question and answers and my name was drawn to answer a question about Prophet Mohamad, pbuh.  For my correct answers I was asked to choose a little prize which I did - a lovely bottle of shower gel. They asked the question in English for me as I only speak a few limited words in Arabic.

While we waited for the line up to subside for the buffet table, a dear lady came over with a variety of food for Sarah and I.  It was so thoughtful of her.

One of the young mothers told me that I reminded her of her grandmother which I took as a compliment.  What a blessing to be this age - one is not competing with anybody.

Sarah and I took a taxi back to her place and she waited with me to catch the No. 26 bus to downtown.

What a wonderful and happy evening I spent.    I hope that I will be invited next year.

Thanks for dropping by.

Wes's visit July 4, 2012

I met him at the Go Station here in Hamilton and we went over to Jackson Square as he needed a backpack for his wheelchair and I knew just the shop who would have what he needed.

We found a huge one which just fit his wheelchair perfectly and purchased it and then went on our way to Whitehern. 

At Whitehern, only Jeff and Anita were there when we arrived but then Grace came and also Jenna.

 Jeff, hiding behind the umbrella pole, Wes in his wheelchair (visiting from Toronto), Anita, and Jenna.

Jeff, Wesley,Anita,Jenna

Anita had brought some home made cake which she shared with the group. 

The dancers of our group  Grace, Jeff

It was very warm in the garden but the umbrellas helped a lot and there was a breeze, although it was a warm breeze.

After Whitehern, Wes and I went up to Limeridge where the airconditioning was on full blast and stayed there till after 5 p.m.    On our way up there, our driver was an amazing young woman who was cheerful and kind and Wes got onto the ramp without any trouble.  She strapped him in.  I noticed that another lady came in on a scooter but she did not get strapped in. I noticed that both ways,  people in scooters don't seem to get strapped in. 

We had lunch/supper at the Food court.  There is a delicious Middle Eastern food stall up there.  I got their chicken sandwich and a drink but Wes  wanted more Canadian type of food so he got Kentucky Fried Chicken.  

The blast of furnace air (it felt that way) hit us as we exited Limeridge Square and went to get the return bus to downtown.  One bus driver refused to take two disabled people as he had two huge baby carriages on already.  He was a little grumpy for my taste, but we waited for the next one and it was that wonderful lady and she welcomed us back.

She checked with Wes where he wanted to get off and Wes said "Ask the boss" which caused both of us to laugh.  She had remembered us from her ride up the mountain.

As the heat was pretty bad, I suggested we go to my place and just rest for a little while.  We decided against going to the waterfront as both of us felt quite tired by that time.

I took Wes to get the 8 p.m. bus back to Toronto.  It was interesting to see how the Go Bus ramp worked. 

It was a very pleasant day in spite of the heat.  Wes will try again to come another Wednesday in August. 

What a wonderful change in him, he is more cheerful, more optomistic and his health has improved since moving into the new building.  Even Joy his cat is in "heaven" with all the space. 

What a blessing it was for Wesley to have gotten into a decent building with some accessible apartments which are one bedrooms.

Life is betting better for Wes.

Thanks for dropping by.

July First Weekend 2012

me in the little train

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On the Monday, I felt quite "blue" for some unknown reason.  Mohammad called fortunately and we decided to go down on the shuttle bus to Pier 8.

Williams Coffee Pub was full and so we sat in the shade and just talked.  Fortunately, I always bring my water with me but he had to go in the line up and get something to drink.

Being with a friend improved my mood and to top it all off, Mohammad treated us to the little train ride which takes about 45 minutes and goes all the way out to Princess Point and back.

This is my first time for this year.  Another project I want to do is to take the little boat.  It has gone up to $13 now plus tax but you stay out in the water for more than an hour.

As you get off the complimentary bus, this bush greets you

The Complimentary bus from downtown

Sea gulls aplenty

A Toronto ship in for repairs

A wild path near parking lot

There are many pine cones which have fallen. Look at its beauty....

Sea gulls - so many of them.